MOSCOW, January 13. /TASS/. Attempts by some countries to use the recent elections in Taiwan to put pressure on Beijing and destabilize the situation in the region are counterproductive and reprehensible, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

"We believe that relations between the sides of the Taiwan Strait are strictly an internal affair of China. Attempts by certain countries to use the elections in Taiwan to put pressure on Beijing and knock the situation off balance in the strait and the region as a whole are counterproductive and deserve widespread condemnation by the international community. We call on all external forces to refrain from provocative actions that would undermine regional stability and international security," she said in a statement.

Taiwan held presidential and parliamentary elections on Saturday.