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Tensions on the Korean Peninsula

Pyongyang does not want escalation of tensions on Korean peninsula, senator says

Russian senator added that there is no alternative to the Russian-Chinese settlement plan for the North Korean crisis

MOSCOW, December 7. /TASS/. North Korea is not interested in escalation of tensions on the Korean Peninsula, but is not afraid of war, Chairman the Federation Council Committee for Foreign Affairs Konstantin Kosachev said after a meeting with North Korea’s Ambassador to Russia Kim Hyong-jun.

"North Korea has confirmed that Pyongyang is not interested in escalation of the conflict or military action, but it is not afraid of war, as it was formulated in yesterday’s statement of [North Korea’s] Ministry of Foreign Affairs," Kosachev said.

He noted that Russia is definitely not interested in escalating tensions over the Korean Peninsula and will take all necessary measures to prevent this escalation.

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Lavrov: US statements on military solution for North Korea tantamount to playing with fire

Kosachev added that there is no alternative to the Russian-Chinese settlement plan for the North Korean situation. "We don’t see any alternative to advancement through partial, but parallel and interconnected, concessions in order to deescalate the situation," the senator noted.

The Federation Council press service reported that during the conversation, the Federation Council committee head and the North Korean ambassador to Russia exchanged opinions on the massive drills currently conducted by the US and South Korea, as well as on North Korea’s missile nuclear program. "The Russian Federation respects North Korea’s sovereignty and the right of the North Korean people to sovereign development… The Federation Council is ready to apply efforts to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula by using parliamentary methods. We call for restraint in the North Korean situation to be preserved," the press service quoted Kosachev as saying.

Earlier, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) released a statement of North Korea’s foreign ministry official that said that the statements made by American high-profile officials and the joint drills conducted by the US and South Korea show that Washington is trying to trigger war on the Korean Peninsula which North Korea will not be hiding from.

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Foreign policy Situation on the Korean Peninsula

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