Mongolia may join talks on Korean Peninsula denuclearization

Russia thinks it is possible that Mongolia might enter the six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula denuclearization, comprising Russia, China, North and South Korea, the United States and Japan, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov said in an interview with TASS.

The restart of negotiations in this format was discussed earlier this week with the US special representative for North Korea, Steven Biegun, he said.

"We make no secret of the fact that we believe it appropriate to restart six-party negotiations. At the same time, we allow for some changes in that format," the diplomat said. "If we speak about a mechanism of peace and security in Northeast Asia, Mongolia is located there and it is part of Northeast Asia, along with participants in the six-party talks."

"It cannot be ruled out that Mongolia might enter those consultations at some stage and then they could become seven-party talks," Morgulov stressed.

The senior diplomat added that Moscow was open for discussion of any options. "The main thing is that consultations should be multilateral engaging all key actors that have real interests in the region and are motivated to maintain stability and peace," he concluded.

The six-party talks on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, which comprise North and South Korea, Japan, China, Russia and the United States, were suspended at Pyongyang’s request in 2008