West Seeks to Boost Political, Psychological Pressure on Pyongyang - Russian Envoy
Western states are seeking to increase their political and psychological pressure on Pyongyang aimed at securing progress on denuclearization promises to the absolute limit, Mikhail Ulyanov, the Russian permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna, told Sputnik on Monday.
VIENNA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th September, 2018) Western states are seeking to increase their political and psychological pressure on Pyongyang aimed at securing progress on denuclearization promises to the absolute limit, Mikhail Ulyanov, the Russian permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna, told Sputnik on Monday.
"Judging by the work of the Vienna-based IAEA [the International Atomic Energy Agency] and the CTBTO [the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization] Preparatory Commission, we see clearly that the United States and the Western countries in general are heading toward a maximum buildup of pressure on Pyongyang � political and psychological pressure. The reasoning is quite unsophisticated: the tightening of [the West's] sanctions has led to positive changes in the stance of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea [DPRK, North Korea], which means [the West] should continue exerting pressure," Ulyanov said.
Ulyanov further stated that he believed the sanctions were not the only thing that had influenced Pyongyang's stance on denuclearization, but other factors as well.
"Diplomacy assumes certain inventiveness and a flexible use of a wide range of tools .
... In other words, pressure should be combined, as and when necessary, with some encouraging incentives. The West currently shows almost a total lack of this. They are not ready even to mention the positive changes of the past few months in the draft resolution on the DPRK, currently being prepared for the IAEA General Conference and should be ratified this week," Ulyanov added.
He went on to say that this approach could pose a threat to the political settlement of the denuclearization issue.
Ulyanov added that South Korea was sticking to a more balanced position, which was closer to the diplomatic standards, judging by the South Korean delegates' speeches at IAEA meetings.
The tensions around the Korean Peninsula have significantly thawed over the past few month, with Pyongyang engaged in a dialogue with all interested parties. On June 12, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump agreed that Pyongyang would make steps toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in exchange for the United States and South Korea halting their joint military drills and eventual sanctions relief.