A Russian expert on foreign affairs says the six-way nuclear talks have reached the end of their life span.

Alexander Panov, who is a chief researcher at the Institute of U.S. and Canadian Studies under the Russian Academy of Sciences, made the remark Tuesday in Moscow during a debate on the crisis on the Korean Peninsula.

Panov, who had once served as Russia’s ambassador to Seoul, said that there is no meaning to resume the six-nation talks as its life span has come to an end. Instead, Panov said that a broader form of dialogue is needed to address various issues concerning the Korean Peninsula.

Panov proposed as an alternative to the six-way talks a peace conference comprising the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations as well as Switzerland and the Czech Republic which oversee the maintenance of the Korean War Armistice.