New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson has once again stressed the need for dialogue with North Korea.

Richardson, who recently returned from a private visit to North Korea to quell regional tensions, told Fox News that although tensions are flaring on the Korean Peninsula, Pyongyang appears ready to hold negotiations.

He recommended talks be reconvened to cool down tensions on the Korean Peninsula, which he compared to a “tinderbox.”

He noted that North Korea has shown restraint in recent days for not responding militarily to South Korea’s large-scale artillery drills last week.

The governor returned from a private visit to North Korea earlier this week.