Senior Russian MP Floats Idea of Appointing UN Special Envoy for North Korea

It is necessary to appoint a UN envoy for North Korea in order to advance in solving the North Korean issue amid its recent nuclear and missile tests, Viktor Ozerov, the chairman of the Russian upper house of parliament’s committee on defense and security, told Sputnik on Sunday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, North Korea launched a missile, which fell in the Sea of Japan after flying some 500 miles. The move has been criticized by a number of countries, including the United States and South Korea.

"It is necessary to appoint a UN special envoy for North Korea, who would use the experience of the Special Envoy for Syria and would organize a closer connection between Pyongyang and other participants of the negotiation process," Ozerov said.

Ozerov stressed that the whole complex of measures aimed at encouraging North Korea to abandon its missile and nuclear programs had not been successful yet.

"And so far the only thing we see are further missile launches, which are, of course, ‘testing the nerves’ of Japan, South Korea, and Russia," the lawmaker added.

Ozerov called for the continuation of the search of political and diplomatic means to solve the North Korean issue, highlighting that Russia, China and the United States should play a "leading role" in this process.

Tensions around North Korea's activities with both nuclear and non-nuclear weapons have drastically escalated in recent months, after Pyongyang conducted a number of nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches in violation of the UN Security Council's resolutions.