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Tensions on the Korean Peninsula

Russia, UK agree to boost cooperation on North Korea issue — Lavrov

Moscow and London are ready to increase cooperation on all issues on the UN Security Council’s agenda

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov Sergey Bobylev/TASS

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov

© Sergey Bobylev/TASS

MOSCOW, December 22. /TASS/. Moscow and London are ready to increase cooperation on all issues on the UN Security Council’s agenda, including the North Korea crisis, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said following talks with British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson on Friday.

"We have discussed the situation on the Korean Peninsula, particularly in the light of the United Nations Security Council debates," Lavrov said. "In general, we have agreed that Russia and the United Kingdom, as permanent members of the UN Security Council, should increase cooperation on all the issues included in the agenda of this key body," the Russian top diplomat added.

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Boris Johnson told reporters Russia and the UK share a common objective seeking peace and security on the Korean Peninsula, although their views on how the crisis can be resolved are not identical.

"We may not have an identical point of view about North Korea, but we share the same objective, which is to make sure that there is peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and indeed that it is denuclearized Korean Peninsula," he said.

"Neither of us want to see North Korea armed with a nuclear ICBM," the diplomat added.

The UK is in favor of stepping up pressure on North Korea to force the ruling regime to abandon its nuclear and missile program, while Russia promotes the "dual freeze" idea (the suspension of nuclear tests by North Korea and an end to the joint US-South Korean military drills - TASS) and suggests reviving six-party talks on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula that would involve North Korea, South Korea, Japan, China, Russia and the United States.

The situation on the Korean Peninsula deteriorated again in late November when Pyongyang carried out the first missile launch in two and a half months. According to North Korean government, the Hwasong-15 missile reached an altitude of 4,475 kilometers within 53 minutes covering a distance of 950 kilometers. Pyongyang said after the launch that this missile is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and that the entire US territory is within its reach.

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Foreign policy Situation on the Korean Peninsula

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