MOSCOW. Dec 26 (Interfax) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson have had a telephone conversation at the U.S. initiative on December 26, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
"The parties agreed that missile and nuclear developments in North Korea breach the requirements of the United Nations Security Council. However, Lavrov once again emphasized that the exacerbation of tensions surrounding the Korean Peninsula by Washington's aggressive rhetoric against Pyongyang and an increase of military preparations in the region is inadmissible. The need to proceed promptly from the language of sanctions to the negotiating process was pointed out," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
The parties "addressed further measures to overcome the conflict in Syria while preserving its territorial integrity, including holding the Intra-Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Sochi as part of efforts to advance to the settlement on the basis of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2251 and encourage direct negotiations between the government of the Syrian Arab Republic and the opposition in Geneva without any preconditions," it said.
"The parties addressed other international subjects, including the situation in Ukraine in the context of the implementation of the Minsk Agreements. The importance of the further involvement of the bilateral channel of consultations in addition to the work of the [Trilateral] Contact Group and the Normandy format was reiterated," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
While discussing bilateral relations, Lavrov and Tillerson agreed to intensify the dialogue on relevant issues in the field of strategic stability. The parties agreed to maintain close contact, the ministry said.