Asia-Pacific

Russia, DPRK to continue consultations

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-05-29 09:38
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MOSCOW - Diplomats from Russia and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) confirmed their will to go on with consultations searching exit ways from the ongoing crisis on the Korean Peninsula, said the Russian Foreign Ministry on Friday.

According to a statement posted on the ministry's website, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Borodavkin met the DPRK Ambassador to Russia Kim Yong Jae on Friday at the latter's initiative.

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They spoke about the dangerous development on the Korean Peninsula following the sinking of a South Korean warship, said the statement.

Russia believed the situation on the Korean Peninsula has taken a dangerous turn, said Borodavkin commenting on the meeting.

"Both parties reaffirmed the need to prevent the further escalation of tensions in the region and expressed a willingness to continue consultations in order to look for ways to overcome the current inter-Korean crisis," said the statement.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have flared after the Cheonan, a 1,200-ton South Korean warship with 104 crew members on board, sank on March 26 after an explosion, killing 46 sailors.

South Korea released the results of its investigation on May 20, accusing the DPRK of sinking the "Cheonan" in a torpedo attack. However, the DPRK firmly denied the charges and insisted on sending its own inspectors to verify the evidence. But that proposal was rejected by Seoul.

South Korea on Monday halted trade with the DPRK, banned merchant ships of the DPRK from entering South Korean waters, and halted its humanitarian aid for the children in the DPRK.

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak vowed that his country would resort to measures of self-defense in case of "further military provocation" by the DPRK and called for sanctions against Pyongyang.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev earlier this week instructed to dispatch some experts to investigate the incident.