MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Earlier on Sunday, North Korea fired a long-range rocket, defying a UN Security Council resolution which bans Pyongyang from launching rockets that may be used as ballistic missiles carrying nuclear warheads. Japan’s National Security Council held a meeting shortly after the incident, as the rocket flew over Japan’s Okinawa prefecture.
"During the conversation, the issue of the North Korean carrier rocket launch was discussed, carried out in violation of the corresponding UN Security Council resolutions," the statement reads.
Lavrov stressed the importance of a political and diplomatic solution regarding the military and political detente in Northeast Asia.
The telephone conversation was held at Tokyo’s request.