MOSCOW. Dec 10 (Interfax-AVN) - Emergence of new nuclear states such as North Korea and Iran is a serious threat to Russia's national security, member of the State Duma lower house of parliament Andrei Kokoshin told Ekho Moskvy radio on Friday.
Kokoshin, a former secretary of the Russian Security Council, was asked to comment on the North Korean Foreign Ministry's statement proclaiming withdrawal from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
"North Korea's withdrawal from NPT is a serious problem for Russia's national security, because the country borders on Russia and any nuclear intercourse between that country and other interested participants may have very serious and unpleasant consequences for us. This given that we have lately heard many statements by Washington concerning the possibility to use nuclear weapons against the countries that can potentially obtain nuclear armaments," Kokoshin said.
The declaration of North Korea's withdrawal from the treaty demonstrates the failure of U.S. diplomacy and confirms that a superpower cannot solve such a serious problem alone, the lawmaker said.
"The North Korean problem can be solved by joint efforts of at least three countries, Russia, China and the United States, with subsequent involvement of Japan and South Korea," Kokoshin stressed.
According to him, a political body on a very high level must be established for it. For instance, it may include first deputy foreign ministers or first deputy defense ministers.
Specific targeted work with specific national leaders is needed to prevent procurement of weapons of mass destruction by separate nations or non-governmental organizations, and there have been successful examples of such work, Kokoshin said.
The North Korean Foreign Ministry on Friday officially announced the withdrawal from NPT and termination of cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
North Korea joined the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty in 1985 and threatened to withdraw in 1993. In 1994, the crisis was settled through an agreement between Pyongyang and Washington on North Korea's readiness to freeze its nuclear program in exchange for U.S. assistance in power generation.
The Russian Foreign Ministry in a Friday statement expressed "grave concern over official reports of the intentions of North Korea to withdraw from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons."