MOSCOW, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- Economic pressure on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is not an alternative to a political solution to the Korean Peninsula issue, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday.
"We cannot support the idea, which some of our partners are hatching, of economically suffocating the DPRK, since it may cause negative and tragic humanitarian consequences," Lavrov said at a press conference.
He recalled all the United Nations (UN) Security Council resolutions imposing sanctions on the DPRK and called for the resumption of political talks to reach a peaceful and diplomatic settlement of the Korean Peninsula issue.
While the sanctions were observed, the appeal to seek a political solution was largely ignored, Lavrov said.
Russia joins China in a "double suspension" proposal, which requires the DPRK to suspend its missile and nuclear activities in exchange for the suspension of large-scale U.S.-South Korean military drills.
Lavrov criticized the United States for rejecting this plan, saying that Washington's position is based on "falsely understood ideas of prestige" rather than on consideration for the fate of the region and numerous people, who may suffer if hostilities start there.
The top Russian diplomat said that both Washington and Pyongyang had toned down their threats against each other.
"Probably we should cheer for this, or at least, hope that the hot heads have cooled down a little bit," he said.
