ANKARA

South Korea raised “serious concerns” about Russia’s military cooperation with North Korea during a meeting between their top diplomats in New York, the Foreign Ministry in Seoul said Saturday.

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun met with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on Friday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Yonhap News reported, citing a ministry statement.

Cho outlined Seoul’s policy on North Korea, which aims to reduce tensions and build trust to promote peace and stability on the peninsula. He urged Moscow to halt its military ties with Pyongyang, the ministry said.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry, in its own statement, said Lavrov highlighted what he called the “provocative” military activities of the US and its Asian allies against North Korea and their policy of sanctions and pressure on Pyongyang.

“Special emphasis was placed on the inevitable return to a mutually respectful dialogue based on the current realities on the peninsula in the interest of building a reliable mechanism for long-term peace and stability in Northeast Asia,” the Russian statement said.

South Korea’s intelligence agency has said North Korea has sent about 15,000 troops and weapons to support Russia’s war in Ukraine since last October and that Pyongyang has lost some 2,000 soldiers there.

Last year, Russia and North Korea signed a comprehensive strategic partnership in Pyongyang that obliges each side to provide military support if attacked by a third party.

* Writing by Islamuddin Sajid