MOSCOW, April 21. /TASS/. Russia welcomes the announcement made by the leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea Kim Jong Un on suspension of the country’s nuclear and missile tests and use of its nuclear test site, the Foreign Ministry’s press and information department said in a statement on Saturday.

"We consider this decision to be an important step towards further easing of tensions on the Korean peninsula and strengthening of positive trends on settlement of the Northeast Asian situation," the statement said.

Moscow assumes the situation around the Korean peninsula is unfolding in a positive way in line with the settlement roadmap suggested by Russia and China, which at first stages envisions mutual freezing of military operations in the region and establishment of direct contacts of North Korea with the United States and the Republic Korea followed by entering into multilateral talks on complete solution of all problems around the Korean peninsula, including the nuclear issue, the ministry added.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry has urged the United States and the Republic of Korea to take adequate accommodating steps to slow down military activities around the Korean peninsula.

"We are rging the US and Republic of Korea to take adequate accommodating steps aimed at slowing down military activities in the region and reaching mutually acceptable agreements with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea at the upcoming intra-Korean and US-North Korean summits," the statement said.

Earlier on Saturday North Korea’s KCNA news agency reported with reference to the country’s leader Kim Jong Un that Pyongyang is halting nuclear tests and joins the global nuclear disarmament process in line with its new strategy to build socialist economy.

North Korea announced its withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in 1993 and completed the withdrawal in January 2003. To date, the Communist state has held six nuclear tests. Last September, Pyongyang announced a successful test of a hydrogen bomb and proclaimed itself a nuclear power.