MOSCOW, February 8 /TASS/. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov and China’s Ambassador to Russia Lee Huei met on Monday to discuss the situation in Northeast Asia after North Korea had carried out a nuclear test and had launched a carrier rocket into space, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
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"The two sides exchanged views on the current situation on the Korean peninsula and Northeast Asia following North Korea’s nuclear test and the carrier rocket launch. They expressed concern with Pyongyang’s demonstrable disregard for the universally recognized norms of international law and the UN Security Council demands," the ministry added.
"It was stressed that all the parties involved should refrain from actions capable of leading to further escalation of regional tensions and that there was no alternative to a political and diplomatic settlement to the Korean peninsula problems, including a nuclear one," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
Moscow, Beijing have identical positions on Syria, Korean problem
According to Russia’s Ambassador to China Andrey Denisov, Moscow and Beijing have identical positions on a number of major foreign policy matters, such as the situation in Syria and around the Korean Peninsula.
"In terms of approaches to Syria, we have identical goals, tasks and vision of the ways to achieve them. We also have identical views on the situation on the Korean Peninsula in the context of North Korea’s nuclear problem and consequences of Pyongyang’s recent nuclear tests," he said.
He said such coordination of positions facilitated the solution of key problems of a comprehensive character, such as the one over Syria’s chemical weapons. "As a matter of fact, the problem was settled thanks to joint coordinated efforts of Russia and China," the Russian diplomat said.
As concerns relations between the two Koreas, Denisov said that Russia and China were seeking to avoid measures that might entail further destabilization.
"Any response measures should not lead to the deterioration of the situation. This is our position and we share it with our Chinese partners. We have identical approaches to this problem with China, there are no gaps between us," he said.