Russia Welcomes US Support for Easing Sanctions on North Korea Aid

Moscow (ANTARA) - Russia has welcomed the United States’ decision to no longer obstruct a United Nations review of sanctions relief for humanitarian aid projects in North Korea, a Russian deputy foreign minister told RIA Novosti. Alexander Alimov said that in February, the US lifted its hold on the review of 17 requests for sanctions exemptions at the UN Security Council’s North Korea sanctions committee. ‘It is gratifying that a wise assessment has been reached in Washington. This has allowed the easing to be approved. This can be seen as a truly positive development,’ Alimov said. The UN has imposed a series of layered economic sanctions on North Korea since 2006 over its nuclear weapons programme and ballistic missile tests. Russia and China have frequently urged the UN to ease sanctions on North Korea on humanitarian grounds.