Russia, China Reaffirm Commitment to Talks Over N Korea’ Nuclear Program

Russia and China have reaffirmed their commitment to resume the long-stalled six-way talks on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.

The agreement was reached by Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping during a meeting on the sidelines of a Victory Day commemoration event in Moscow on Saturday.

The leaders signed a joint statement which said they "agreed that the six-party talks are the effective way to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue."

Putin and Xi also expressed hope that the countries involved in the process can resume the negotiations.

The six-party negotiations involving North Korea, South Korea, Russia, China, Japan and the United States, aim to find a peaceful resolution to security concerns sparked by North Korea's nuclear weapons program.

However, the talks have been stalled for six years. Pyongyang has repeatedly called upon the nations to resume the negotiations, insisting that the talks should be held without preconditions.

In their turn, Seoul and Washington claimed that North Korea should first demonstrate its commitment toward giving up its nuclear weapons program.

Pyongyang carried out its third and most powerful nuclear test in early 2013. Some experts now warn that the North’s nuclear arsenal could expand to 100 bombs by 2020.