Agencia EFE
October 20, 2017 7:08am

Russia has called for support for a plan drawn up by Moscow and Beijing to address the North Korean crisis through diplomatic means.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov urged international community to back the roadmap, drawn up by Russia and China in June, that urged the US and South Korea to stop their joint, large scale military drills in the region, in exchange for North Korea halting its missile launches.

Lavrov, speaking at a conference on nuclear non proliferation, said dialogue would prevent an armed conflict that might otherwise lead to a large scale humanitarian, economic and ecological catastrophe in the region.

Russian President Vladimir Putin had also urged North Korea to comply with United Nations resolutions.

He had also asked the US to tone down its rhetoric and opt for dialogue to cool tensions in the region.

Last weekend, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson also insisted US President Donald Trump wanted to resolve the confrontation with North Korea through diplomacy.

His statement had come after Trump had publicly told him not to waste time seeking talks with Kim Jong-un.