MOSCOW. Jan 21 (Interfax) - Russia deems the increase of military potentials of the United States and other countries under the pretext of the North Korean nuclear threat unfounded, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
"We urge our neighbors [the DPRK] to show restraint in daily contacts. We also condemn the attempts to take advantage of this situation for a disproportionate increase of military potentials in this region under the pretext of the North Korean threat," Lavrov replied to an Interfax question at a press conference in Moscow on Tuesday.
"The steps the United States is taking, in particular, in reference to the threat coming from North Korea, are far from being adequate to the real military potential North Korea possesses," he said.
"We do not want the appearance of a new pretext for building up military muscle, including the deployment of strategic bombers and aircraft carrier groups near our borders and the accelerated deployment in this region of elements of the U.S. global missile defense network," the foreign minister said.
In the opinion of Lavrov, there is no alternative to the six-nation negotiations settling the nuclear problem of North Korea.
"Currently the DPRK, the administration of the DPRK, is signaling its readiness to resume the negotiations without preconditions. Some other parties to the six-nation process believe that the DPRK should first take steps to convince the others that it is serious," the minister emphasized.
He did not rule out the resumption of contacts with North Korea at a working group led by Russia.
"A number of working groups were formed during the negotiations. Russia is in charge of the working group elaborating principles of peace and security in Northeast Asia. It was believed that the group will be in demand after progress is made in denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and will coordinate certain parameters of the order in Northeast Asia," Lavrov stressed.
"I do not rule out that this group may now be used to start a discussion and build up confidence through the convocation of consultations," Lavrov said. "These are our ideas and we are sharing them with our partners in the six-nation negotiations and hope for their soonest resumption," Lavrov concluded.