MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Security guarantees should be provided to North Korea in order for it to abandon its nuclear program, Morgulov stated.
"The issue is ensuring that all countries in the subregion feel equally safe, and in the case of North Korea these should be guarantees that would lead to Pyongyang's refusal from its missile and nuclear programs," Morgulov said.
Russia's roadmap on the settlement of the North Korean dispute includes a phased plan to bring the parties toward dialogue without preconditions, Morgulov said.
He listed as first steps "manifestations of mutual restraint, not provoking each other, initiating negotiations on the general principles of relations such as non-aggression, rejection of the use and threat of force."
"We have developed and are ready to discuss with partners a set of practical measures, a sort of 'road map,' the ultimate goal of which is the formation of a lasting peace mechanism in Northeast Asia while addressing the issues of the peninsula, including its denuclearization," Morgulov said.
Military provocations aggravate tensions on the Korean Peninsula and could boil over into armed conflict with the potential use of nuclear weapons, Morgulov stated.
"We are convinced that military provocations, saber rattling, militant statements, wherever they emanate from, only exacerbate the situation, bringing it to a critical point," Morgulov said.
He warned that heightened tensions would be followed by "a slide into a large-scale armed conflict, even with the likelihood of the use of nuclear weapons."
Russia coordinates its road map on the settlement of the North Korean issue with China, the Deputy Foreign Minister added.
"[Moscow acts] in coordination with Chinese partners who are concerned about what is happening on the Korean Peninsula," Morgulov said.
He highlighted Beijing's "double freeze" proposal to simultaneously halt North Korean nuclear missile tests and US-South Korean military drills, as well as "parallel advancement" toward denuclearization and creating a regional system of peace and security.
"We support these ideas," the Russian diplomat said.
