ROME. Dec 1 (Interfax) - Russia sees the prevention of an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula as its main task in the context of the North Korean issue, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday.
"Our stance on the Korean Peninsula's issues is direct, honest, and open, we have voiced it repeatedly. [...] We see the main task in the prevention of an armed conflict, which would have disastrous consequences for countries situated there, such as South Korea and Japan, but let us not forget that China and Russia also border on North Korea," Lavrov said at a press conference in Rome on Friday.
Additionally, he recalled that Moscow is "in very close contact with U.S. representatives dealing with the Korean Peninsula." Meetings were held in Moscow and other venues, he said.
"We assumed that Washington understands the need to refrain from escalating tensions and retaliating by means of such large-scale military actions to a situation demanding a much more balanced response," the Russian foreign minister said.