Russia added its voice Tuesday to calls for the relaunch of six-way talks of the North Korean nuclear dispute, saying it was the only way of resolving Pyongyang's standoff with Washington. The comments came as a senior North Korean official arrived in Beijing for consultations on a new round of talks, which would include Moscow officials.
"This is the most acceptable format" for resolving the standoff, Russia's foreign ministry spokesman Alexander Yakovenko was quoted as saying by an official ministry statement.
He said that the last round of such talks, held at the end of July in Beijing "clearly demonstrates that an agreement can be reached." But North Korea boycotted the most recent set of six-nation negotiations scheduled for September, following three inconclusive earlier rounds.
The Russian statement said "the sooner we can hold the next round of talks, the better."
It further urged China, the host's talks, to agree a date for the fourth round of negotiations "in the nearest future." Russia has sought to emphasise its role as a major regional power by participating in the multinational talks on North Korea's nuclear ambitions.
Moscow held major sway over North Korea in the Soviet era, but it has largely bowed out from the peninsula since communism's collapse, with most of its trade with Pyongyang switching hands to China.
Still, Russian President Vladimir Putin has been one of the few world leaders to personally meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il, holding one-on-one talks with him three times since his own election in 2000.
Analysts speculate that North Korea had been delaying a new round of talks until after the US presidential election, with hopes that a Democratic administration would take over the White House.