Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the UN Vasily Nebenzya said that it is irresponsible to propose new sanctions against the DPRK amid the coronavirus outbreak in the republic.
“Unfortunately, COVID-19 still entered the DPRK a few weeks ago. The epidemiological situation there is extremely difficult. We believe that it is completely irresponsible to propose new sanctions when the North Koreans are faced with a challenge that, on the contrary, should allow us to consider the possibility of helping the country to overcome it, ”said the diplomat.
He recalled that Russia has repeatedly called the introduction of new sanctions against the DPRK a dead end.
“In principle, we have repeatedly said that the introduction of new sanctions against the DPRK is a dead end. They emphasized the fallacy, inefficiency and inhumanity of the sanctions pressure on Pyongyang,” Nebenzya said.
Earlier in the day, Russia and China used veto power in voting in the UN Security Council (SC) on a US draft resolution that called for tougher sanctions against the DPRK. Therefore, the document was not accepted.
The fact that on May 26 a meeting of the UN Security Council will be held to discuss the next test of ballistic missiles by the DPRK was reported the day before. Within its framework, a vote was held on the draft American resolution.
It was decided to convene the summit against the backdrop of another North Korean missile test. So, North Korea on the morning of May 25 fired three ballistic missiles one after another towards the Sea of Japan. Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi, on behalf of the country, said that North Korea’s missile launches immediately after the visit of US President Joe Biden to Seoul and Tokyo can be considered a direct provocation.
On March 25, Washington said that the UN Security Council should consider increasing sanctions pressure on North Korea in connection with the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile. US Permanent Representative to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield expressed the opinion that the UN Security Council should “condemn with one voice” Pyongyang’s dangerous actions.
At the same time, North Korean authorities report an outbreak of COVID-19 in the country, which was first recorded on May 12. Then the leader of the DPRK said that an emergency situation arose in the country due to the coronavirus, after which he demanded that the government take measures to stop the spread of the disease.
So far, the country has not officially reported a single case of COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic.