North Korea is reiterating that potential bilateral contact with the U.S. could be a starting point for creating a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.

A spokesman for North Korea’s Foreign Ministry told the North’s official Korea Central News Agency that Pyongyang has made the first move by saying that it could return to the six-party nuclear talks if Pyongyang-proposed bilateral interactions with the U.S. are held.

He added that the ball is now in Washington’s court and the North is awaiting a decision.

The spokesman went on to say that meaningful progress will be made in the denuclearization process if hostility is discarded and trust is established between the North and the U.S.

He hinted that if the U.S. doesn’t agree to hold a bilateral meeting, his country will go its own way, hinting at a strengthening of its nuclear deterrence.