Russia will not join any anti-Korean statements or documents. This is stated in a statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry, explaining the reasons for Russia's refusal to participate in the 14th Conference to Facilitate the Entry into Force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.
„The text of the final document of the 14th Conference does not correspond to our approaches. We cannot accept the accusations contained in this declaration against our ally, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Moscow once helped Pyongyang repel the aggression of the united West, and now our allies have made an invaluable contribution to the protection of the territorial integrity of the Russian Federation. In this regard, we do not consider it possible to join any anti-Korean statements or documents. In addition, we note that such politically motivated attacks are incompatible with the goals and objectives of the conference,“ the ministry said.
The diplomatic ministry stressed that the main reason for the Treaty's failure to enter into force was “the obstructionist position of the United States on it“. “It is precisely the US administrations that have made no efforts to ratify the Treaty for nearly thirty years. In this situation, we consider it absolutely unacceptable to blame the DPRK for the inability of the Treaty to become a truly functioning international legal mechanism. The country's position is conditioned by the unprecedented pressure exerted on it by the United States and its allies," the statement said. "All this makes it impossible to support the final declaration of the 14th Conference on Facilitating the Entry into Force of the Treaty and renders meaningless our participation in this event, even as an observer."
The Russian Foreign Ministry also stressed that Moscow remains committed to the values of the Treaty. "A vivid example of this is the completion on December 14, 2023 of the construction of the Russian segment (the second largest in the world) of the International Monitoring System - a key component of the treaty's verification mechanism. Russia intends to continue facilitating the entry into force of the treaty. However, whether this goal will be achieved does not depend on us," the ministry added.