MOSCOW, June 17. /TASS/. Moscow calls on Seoul and Pyongyang to show restraint after the destruction of the Kaesong liaison office, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a press conference after taking part in a special meeting Russia-ASEAN via a video linkup.
"We are urging the Korean parties to show restraint and maximum responsibility for what is happening on the peninsula and to maintain a calm and stable situation there. We hope that this call will be heard," Lavrov said.
Russia is not intending to offer any services to North and South Koreas to help them to overcome the heightened tensions between them, according to Lavrov.
"We are not offering any services of ours. When we return - I hope this will happen - to the six-party talks to resolve all issues of the Korean Peninsula, we will be interested in restarting the multilateral dialogue on all issues of maintaining peace and stability in Southeast Asia that was launched and later interrupted. I am certain that it is all in the best interests of the Korean people living on both sides of the demarcation line and in the best interests of all other states situated in this important region," Lavrov said.
On Tuesday, North Korea blew up the joint liaison office with the South located in the Kaesong Industrial Complex in retaliation to dissemination of propaganda leaflets by South Korean activists. South Korea, in turn, expressed regret about the move but also criticized the actions of activists. Pyongyang earlier vowed to retaliate in kind, going as far as threatening deployment of troops to areas adjacent to the demilitarized zone (DMZ) at the North-South border. The South Korean Defense Ministry then promised tough response to any North Korean provocation.