Russia expresses deep regret at North Korea’s rocket launch

North Korea’s rocket launch in defiance to the international community’s opinion, including Russia’s call, evokes deep regret, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. “This step of the North Korean side is the violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1874, distinctly banning North Korea to launch any rockets with the use of ballistic technologies,” the ministry said, according to (Itar-Tass) news agency. “Russia proceeds from an assumption that it is impermissible for a UN member-state to ignore decisions of its main organ responsible for maintaining international peace and security,” the ministry said. Pyongyang’s rocket launch “will not contribute to strengthening stability and will exert a negative effect on the common situation in North East Asia,” the ministry said. This step seriously hampers the implementation of promising programs on multilateral economic cooperation in the region. “We call on North Korea to prevent any new actions running counter to UN Security Council resolutions,” the ministry said. “At the same time we hope that other parties will refrain from taking steps that can escalate the atmosphere and create new obstacles on the way to the six-part talks, which – we are confident – remain an optimal format for resolving nuclear and other problems on the Korean Peninsula.”