MOSCOW, April 26. /TASS/. Parties to the conflict on the Korean Peninsula are on the brink of war because of external provocations, Secretary of the Russian Security Council Nikolai Patrushev said on Wednesday at the Moscow Conference on International Security.

"We should not underestimate the North Korean issue as external provocations have put parties to the conflict on the brink of war," he said.

Among other hotbeds of tension, the Russian Security Council secretary mentioned Ukraine where "civilians continue to die in dozens." "New dividing lines are being drawn in the Asian-Pacific region," Patrushev added. "Conflicts rage on in the Middle East and North Africa. The situation in Afghanistan remains tense."

"Russia stands for solving these issues through political and diplomatic means," he concluded.

Sergey Lavrov said Russia strongly opposes use of military force on the Korean Peninsula.

"The deteriorating situation on the Korean Peninsula causes concern as Pyongyang continues to develop its nuclear and missile programs while the United States and its regional allies step up military activities citing the North Korean threat," the Russian top diplomat said. According to Lavrov, "the deployment of the US THAAD missile defense system to South Korea may further destabilize the situation."

"We share the global community’s consolidated position on North Korea’s policy, however, there is no doubt that plans to use military force, which are starting to be voiced, are fraught with disastrous consequences for the Korean Peninsula and the entire Northeast Asia," the Russian top diplomat added.

"Russia is interested in ensuring security and stability in the Asian-Pacific region," Lavrov stressed. "In order to reach this goal, all countries of the region should abide by the generally recognized behavior rules, particularly respecting international law, solving disputes peacefully and refraining from the use of military force as well as the threat of force," the Russian foreign minister said.