MOSCOW. Jan 27 (Interfax) - The transition of power in North Korea has not destabilized the situation in that country, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with Japan's Kyodo news agency.
"According to the information we have, the situation in North Korea remains calm. The mourning ceremonies are over and life is gradually resuming its normal course," the minister said.
"In our opinion, there has been a smooth handover of power - Kim Jong Un has been proclaimed Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Korean People's Army. We do not see any signs of any possible shift towards destabilization," he said.
As North Korea's close neighbor, Russia wants to maintain and develop political and economic ties with that country, the minister said.
Touching upon the Korean peninsula's nuclear problem, he repeated that a politico-diplomatic solution within the framework of the six-nation talks had no alternative.
The negotiators, including Russia and Japan, are "searching for optimal modalities and a re-launch of the six-national process", Lavrov said. He urged all parties concerned to show wisdom and maximum restrain to prevent an escalation of tension on the Korean peninsula.