Russia has welcomed the shutdown of a nuclear reactor in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), saying it is a "positive factor" in efforts to resolve the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, news agencies reported on Sunday.
"We see the shutdown of the Yongbyon reactor as a positive factor in the situation surrounding the North Korean problem," Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin was quoted as saying.
The DPRK confirmed Sunday the shutdown of its Yongbyon nuclear facilities after receiving the first shipment of heavy oil from South Korea.
The DPRK also urged other parties concerned to fulfill their commitments quickly according to the Feb. 13 agreement.
At the February six-party talks involving China, Japan, Russia, South Korea, the DPRK and the United States, Pyongyang pledged to shut down the Yongbyon reactor within 60 days in exchange for 50,000 tons of heavy fuel oil or equivalent aid.
However, the denuclearization process was held up as the DPRK insisted that its 25 million U.S. dollars frozen at the Banco Delta Asia in Macao be returned before shutting down the nuclear facilities and reviving negotiations.
The DPRK announced later in June that the problem of its frozen fund had been resolved and pledged last Friday to start implement the Feb. 13 agreement as it received the first shipment of heavy oil.
