Russia urges the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to demonstrate responsibility, the Interfax news agency quoted Russian Foreign Ministry as saying on Monday.

"We call on our DPRK partners to display a responsible attitude for the sake of regional stability, the nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the respect for and observation of the UN Security Council resolutions. We still think that the nuclear problem of the Korean Peninsula may be resolved only at the six-nation negotiations," the ministry said in a statement.

"The latest steps of the DPRK escalate tensions in Northeast Asia and endanger regional security and stability. We recognize the lawful concerns of the DPRK and do not see any real alternative in the provision of its security to political and diplomatic efforts and the formation of relevant regional institutions with the participation of all interested sides," the statement said.

The ministry said that the DPRK underground nuclear test conducted earlier on Monday has breached the U.N. Security Council resolution that asks Pyongyang to restrain from such tests.

"We cannot describe the DPRK move other than as a breach of UN Security Council resolution 1718, which prohibits Pyongyang from carrying out nuclear tests," the ministry said.

"The DPRK nuclear test has a serious impact on international efforts aiming to strengthen the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and breaches the international regime provided by the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty," the ministry said.

For his part, the head of Russia's parliamentary foreign-affairs committee Konstantin Kosachyov said the U.N. Security Council will make a mistake if it approves new economic sanctions against the DPRK.

"If we approve a new Security Council resolution on this issue, we must refrain from approving new sanctions against the DPRK, because sanctions will bring an opposite effect," he said.

Mikhail Margelov, chairman of the Federation Council's international affairs committee, was quoted by the Itar-Tass as saying that the DPRK underground nuclear tests and the launchings of ballistic missiles "are reducing to naught all the diplomatic efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula."

The U.N. Security Council planned to hold an emergency meeting Monday afternoon in New York to discuss the reported nuclear test staged by the DPRK.

The DPRK said earlier on Monday it had successfully conducted an underground nuclear test.

South Korean officials said an "artificial earthquake" was detected near the northeastern town of Kilju, about 10 km away from the site where the DPRK staged its first nuclear test in October 2006.

Russian Defense Ministry has confirmed the underground nuclear test equivalent to 10-20 kilotons in the territory of the DPRK, which took place at 04:54:41 a.m. (Moscow time) (0054 GMT) on May 25.

Source: Xinhua