MOSCOW, January 12. /TASS/. Russian and Chinese diplomats have stated that plans on deploying the US THAAD anti-missile systems to South Korea are destructive, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement following the sixth round of the Russian-Chinese dialogue on the security of Southeast Asia, which was held in Moscow.

The Russian delegation was headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov while Kong Xuanyou, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs, headed the Chinese delegation. The delegations comprised representatives of the two countries’ Foreign and Defense Ministries.

During the consultations both parties stressed that the situation developing on the Korean Peninsula "still has a high conflict potential", the Russian Foreign Ministry’s statement reads. "The positions of the opposing sides prevent them from reaching complex agreements aimed at settling the issues concerning the intra-Korean relations and the situation in Southeast Asia in general," the statement continues. "The meeting’s participants noted that some countries had occupied a counterproductive position seeking to further heighten tensions and boost arms race in the region as well as expand military drills."

"In this regard, the parties pointed out that plans on deploying the US THAAD anti-missile systems to South Korea could damage regional stability and security," the Russian ministry added. "The parties highlighted the need to exert joint efforts aimed at finding a meaningful strategy that would show the way out of the current deadlock and help settle the nuclear issue and other problems facing the Korean Peninsula so that the atmosphere of confrontation in Southeast Asia evaporates ensuring peace and stability in the region."

The meeting’s participants emphasized the importance of a deepening Russian-Chinese dialogue and interaction with all the interested parties that could help achieve these goals.