Russia and South Korea are resolved to work to alleviate tensions on the Korean Peninsula using diplomatic methods in the interest of peace, the countries' foreign ministers said on Wednesday.
Sergei Lavrov and Yu Myung-hwan discussed the situation that has evolved around the sinking of a South Korean warship and the UN Security Council's consideration of the incident during a telephone conversation.
"Both sides expressed their commitment to solve the outstanding problems using political and diplomatic means in the interest of strengthening peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia as a whole," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a communique posted on its website.
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula increased after South Korea's 1,200-ton Cheonan corvette sank near the disputed Northern Limit Line in the Yellow Sea on March 26, causing the loss of 46 lives.
North Korea threatened on Tuesday to retaliate militarily to any condemnation of Pyongyang by the UN Security Council over the alleged sinking of a South Korean warship.
An international investigation determined that North Korea fired a torpedo at the vessel from a submarine. Pyongyang has denied the allegations.
An informal UN Security Council meeting on Monday decided to continue probing the Cheonan sinking, but refrained from pinning the blame on Pyongyang.
However, while the United States and South Korea continue to insist on new sanctions on the North, veto-holding China has indicated it will oppose any sanctions.
MOSCOW, June 16 (RIA Novosti)
