MOSCOW. Feb 27 (Interfax) - While North Korea's nuclear ambitions are unacceptable for Russia, foreign partnership should refrain from attempts to "test the resilience" of the new North Korean leader, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said.
The situation currently developing around the North Korean nuclear problem is as serious as the one around Iran, Putin wrote in his article, "Russia and a changing world" published in the Moskovskiye Novosti newspaper on Monday. "By breaching the non-proliferation regime, Pyongyang openly declares its claims to the right to possess 'military atom' and has already tested nuclear missiles twice," Putin wrote.
"North Korea's nuclear status is unacceptable for us. We invariably call for denuclearization of the Korean peninsula solely by political and diplomatic methods, and call for swift resumption of the six-party talks," the prime minister wrote.
"But apparently, not all our partners share such an approach," he wrote. "I am convinced that one needs to be particularly careful now. Attempts to test the resilience of the new leader of North Korea, which in effect provoked ill-considered countermeasures, are unacceptable," Putin wrote.
"One does not choose one's neighbors," and Russia will continue the active dialogue with North Korean leaders and develop neighborly relations, while bringing Pyongyang to the nuclear problem resolution, Putin wrote.
"It is obvious that it will be easier to do in an atmosphere of mutual trust on the peninsula and after the resumption of the inter-Korean dialogue," the Russian prime minister wrote.