MOSCOW, October 20. /TASS/. Steps taken to solve the Korean Peninsula crisis should be gradual and synchronous, as unilateral ones will not bring about any result, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov said in an interview with TASS.

"Unconditionally, it is a matter of concern [that North Korea faces demands for unilateral denuclearization amid warnings to toughen anti-Pyongyang sanctions]," Morgulov said.

"We believe that the process aimed at resolving the Korean Peninsula crisis should be carried out step-by-step and be accompanied by reciprocal steps of the participants - the nations involved in this process," he said.

"It is understandable that any distortion in steps or measures taken by one side will unlikely bring about any result," he noted. "It should be based on reciprocity, and parallel, synchronous and gradual steps."

The senior diplomat pointed out that this approach was mirrored in the joint statement adopted by deputy foreign ministers of Russia, China and North Korea at consultations in Moscow on October 9.

"It is a negotiated text. It is a stance approved by the three countries," he said. "The statement envisions precisely that we support this step-by-step approach on the basis of reciprocal steps from involved parties. That would be right.".

Russian-Chinese roadmap 

The settlement of the situation on the Korean Peninsula is proceeding in accordance with Russian-Chinese roadmap, Morgulov continued.

"We are cooperating very closely with our Chinese partners. Lately, we have been meeting with China's Deputy Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou on a monthly basis, alternating between Moscow and Beijing," Morgulov said. "This is not surprising as we have developed a joint roadmap on Korean settlement and are making efforts to ensure that the situation on the peninsula is developing in accordance with our roadmap recommendations. We think that it is de facto in line with the roadmap," he added.

"We are now in the middle of the second stage of implementing the roadmap. In total, there are three stages," the deputy foreign minister said. "The third stage envisages establishing the mechanism for peace and security through multilateral consultations," he added.

"We think that already at this stage, we could start discussions on launching such multilateral mechanisms for considering the issue of establishing durable peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and in the subregion pf Northeast Asia," the Russian diplomat noted.

In 2017, Russia and China put forward a roadmap on resolving the nuclear crisis on the Korean Peninsula. The roadmap envisages halting North Korea's nuclear missile activities in exchange for decreasing the number of joint US-South Korean military drills. The roadmap also envisages bilateral talks between Pyongyang and Washington, followed by full-format multilateral megotiations with participation of all interested parties.

Consultations in US on Korean crisis

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov said he was invited to the United States for consultations on the Korean Peninsula crisis.

"Steve Biegun [the US special representative for North Korea] has invited me to come to the United States until the end of the year," he said. "We have not set the timeframe yet, but I have accepted the invitation. I think my trip will take place in the near future to continue those consultations."

Morgulov pointed out that Russia and the US had held a round of talks on the Korean crisis. "They happened to be the first consultations for the US Department of State’s new representative for North Korea, Steve Biegun," the high-ranking diplomat went on to say.

"We had very useful and meaningful talks, exchanged views on the situation on the peninsula, compared our assessments and discussed how Russia and the US might cooperate to reach the result which unites us with Washington in this context, namely denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and creation of a lasting peace and security mechanism in that subregion," he said.

"On the whole, the consultations were quite a success," Morgulov noted.

Igor Morgulov and Steve Biegun held talks in Moscow on October 16. The two diplomats agreed to boost efforts for resolving the nuclear crisis on the Korean Peninsula. They hailed efforts of the nations involved in the process of settlement and agreed to step up efforts in order to find a political and diplomatic solution to any crisis in the region, including the nuclear one, as soon as possible.

Talks in South Korea

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov will visit South Korea by the end of 2018 to hold talks on North Korea. "I am planning a visit to the Republic of Korea by the end of the year to continue dialogue with our South Korean partners on issues concerning the Korean Peninsula," he said. "We will definitely stay in touch."

According to Morgulov, Russia continues consultations with North Korea both in bilateral and tripartite (including China) formats.

"Recently, Moscow has hosted a meeting of Russian, Chinese and North Korea deputy foreign ministers," the high-ranking diplomat said.

On October 9, deputy foreign ministers - Igor Morgulov of Russia, Kong Xuanyou of China and Choe Son Hui of North Korea - held talks at which they urged the United Nations Security Council to reverse its policy of anti-Pyongyang sanctions. The diplomats stated that the sides were seeking denuclearization for the Korean Peninsula and pointed out that this process should be gradual and synchronous and be accompanied by reciprocal steps of the involved nations.

They discussed how to strengthen bilateral and multilateral coordination in order to create a mechanism for lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula and agreed to continue negotiations.