Press release on Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson
September 5, 2017
On September 5, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson at the US initiative.
The ministers shared their assessments of the situation on the Korean peninsula in the context of Pyongyang's new nuclear and missile tests. Mr Lavrov strongly condemned the escalation of military tensions in Northeast Asia. He said that the choice should be made to use political and diplomatic tools to find ways of achieving a peaceful settlement. He called on all sides not to give in to emotion and to show restraint.
In connection with Secretary Tillerson’s statement about introducing a US draft resolution to the UN Security Council condemning the DPRK’s steps, Mr Lavrov stressed that Russia is prepared to consider it based on the position stated above. Also, the reaction of the international community should include the idea that there is no military solution to this problem. Mr Lavrov also spoke in favour of enlisting the positive services of the UN Secretary General in the search for solutions.
When discussing bilateral relations, Mr Lavrov pointed out that the seizure of Russian diplomatic property in the United States by US authorities represents a gross violation of international law. The Minister drew Secretary Tillerson’s attention to President Putin’s statement at a news conference following the BRICS summit in Xiamen about our country’s plans to initiate court proceedings in response to Washington’s unlawful actions.