UNITED NATIONS, April 30. /TASS/. Easing the UN Security Council's sanctions restrictions on North Korea would be a good-faith step towards diplomatic talks with the DPRK, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the world organization, Vasily Nebenzya, has stated.

"Easing the Council's sanctions decisions on humanitarian grounds as a first step would create a favorable atmosphere for finding diplomatic solutions, taking into account the legitimate interests of all countries in the region, including the DPRK. We need to take an honest look at the current realities, in which there is simply no alternative to the negotiation process. It is time to radically reconsider approaches to solving the problem and start moving towards resuming dialogue," he said at a UN Security Council meeting on the DPRK.

The head of the Russian mission pointed out that "the Council made a serious mistake by placing permanent sanctions on the DPRK, thereby paralyzing its own ability to act in accordance with the UN Charter." "It is within our power to make sure that this mistake is not a fatal one for regional and global security. Two years ago, during the discussion of the mandate of the Panel of Experts, Russia invited Council members to have a substantive and impartial conversation about revising international sanctions against Pyongyang towards their updating and easing. Our proposal remains ‘on the table’," Nebenzya noted.