Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (R) welcomes North Korea's Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui (L) ahead of a meeting in Moscow on Monday. The two sides blamed the United States and its allies for tensions on the Korean Peninsula, Russia's Foreign Ministry said. Photo courtesy of Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service/EPA
SEOUL, July 21 (UPI) -- The top diplomats of Russia and North Korea blamed the United States and its allies for raising tensions around the Korean Peninsula, Moscow's Foreign Ministry said Monday.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui made the remarks during a meeting in Moscow as part of the third round of the Russia-North Korea strategic dialogue, according to a readout by the ministry.
The two "agreed that the irresponsible conduct of the United States and its allies, including the expansion of provocative military activities around the Korean Peninsula, has been the primary cause of the deteriorating security situation in Northeast Asia and beyond," the ministry said.
The language echoes Pyongyang's frequent condemnations of joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea, which it claims are rehearsals for an invasion. The North has also recently criticized Japan's military buildup and its expanding security ties with Washington and Seoul, accusing the three countries of using their growing defense cooperation to contain North Korea and neighboring countries.
