MOSCOW. May 3 (Interfax) - Moscow does not accept North Korea's nuclear status, but at the same time is against an increase in military activity in Northeast Asia.
"Existing tensions on the Korean Peninsula are caused not only by Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs, but also by an increased military activity in the North-East Asia of some regional and especially non-regional states," Mikhail Ulyanov, the director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's department for nonproliferation and arms control and the head of the Russian delegation to Preparatory Committee for the 2020 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference, said at the first session of the 2017 preparatory committee in Vienna on Tuesday.
"It is evident that Pyongyang will not abandon its nuclear weapons as long as it sees itself directly threatened," Ulyanov said.
Speaking on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iranian nuclear program, the Russian diplomat said that "it might be imperfect; however, it is a balanced and a very fragile compromise that needs to be treated in a very delicate way."
"Enough time has passed to declare with certainty that the deal is effective and fulfills its mandate. Iran strictly implements its commitments which is regularly confirmed by the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency]," he said.
"We encourage all, first and foremost the participants of the JCPOA, to do their utmost to meet the aspirations of the international community in terms of keeping for a long term this symbol of successful diplomacy that has proven that NPT-based negotiations could solve any complex issue," Ulyanov said.
The NPT, the 50th anniversary of which will be celebrated in 2018, continues to remain a backbone of the global strategic stability, he said.
"We are convinced that consistent implementation and strengthening of the NPT in all of its three pillars - prevention of nuclear proliferation, peaceful uses of nuclear energy and nuclear disarmament - on the basis of the 2010 NPT Review Conference decisions adopted by consensus and within the framework of fundamental provisions of the Treaty objectively meets the interests of all countries," Ulyanov said.
He recalled that 20 years have passed since the singing of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). However, despite all the efforts, the treaty failed to enter into force. "We are extremely concerned by the lack of any progress on the track," the Russian diplomat said.
"Russia ratified the CTBT 17 years ago and remains committed to the treaty. As the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin stressed in his statement on April 11, 2016, we consider the treaty's early entry into force as an our priority. In this regard, we call upon the United States and other states key for the CTBT's entry into force to make every effort to urgently become parties to the CTBT. It is in your hands to finally make this crucial Treaty fully operational," he said.