MOSCOW. June 8 (Interfax) - The International Atomic Energy Agency needs to be prepared for possible contacts with North Korean representatives, Russian Permanent Representative at the IAEA Mikhail Ulyanov said.
"Hence the IAEA will have to play a significant part in ensuring the solely peaceful nature of North Korean nuclear activities, we strongly urge the leadership of the Agency to keep doors open for possible contacts with North Korean representatives," Ulyanov said at a session of the IAEA Board of Governors on Thursday. The Russian Foreign Ministry quoted him as saying that in its statement.
"It will be possible to seriously discuss any resumption of IAEA inspections in North Korea only after an achieved politico-diplomatic resolution, which all the parties concerned yet have to work on," Ulyanov added.
"The Russian side is based on the notion that the IAEA remain the sole international institution with enough authority and technical capabilities to exercise monitoring and oversight of North Korean nuclear activities, including in the context of efforts for the Korean Peninsula's denuclearization," he said.
"In the face of the current situation surrounding Iran, first it is necessary to think over effective mechanisms to ensure that all the parties strictly comply with future agreements on the settlement of the Korean Peninsula nuclear problem," the Russian diplomat said.
"Now there is a real hope that the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is achievable," he said, expressing support for inter-Korean dialogue and the upcoming meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, which is appointed for June 12.
"We are confident that if the sides refrain from setting clearly unacceptable conditions to each other and instead indicate readiness for a mutually respectful dialogue, then it will clear the way for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," Ulyanov said.