Russia has come under harsh criticism from Western nations for its refusal to back UN Security Council sanctions against the regime in Zimbabwe, which has become a focus of international concern since recent election-related violence.
The ministry quoted Sergei Lavrov as telling Simbarashe Mumbengegwi in a phone conversation that "all parties to the internal conflict in Zimbabwe must demonstrate a constructive approach to ensure stability and national accord."
"It is also important to bring those responsible for cases of violence in June to justice, and to take measures to ensure that such incidents to not occur in the future," the ministry said.
Lavrov told the Zimbabwean diplomat that Russia supports steps being taken by the African Union and the Southern African Development Community to resolve the crisis.
On Friday, Russia and China used their UN Security Council vetoes to block sanctions against Zimbabwe's leadership, which under Washington's proposals would have included an arms embargo and travel bans for President Robert Mugabe and his closest allies. The United States and Britain then accused Moscow of reneging on a pledge made at last week's Group of Eight summit.
However, a senior Russian diplomat told reporters on Monday that while the idea of sanctions was discussed at the G8 in Japan, no specific measures were agreed on.
The Russian side told other G8 members that the situation should be tackled through mediation of other countries, and that sanctions could not be employed, as the situation in the country was not a threat to international security, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak told a news conference.
In the lead-up to the June presidential election runoff in Zimbabwe, opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai dropped out of the race, citing death threats and beatings of supporters, and took refuge in the Dutch Embassy in Harare.
Tsvangirai had won the first election round in March, but without a sufficiently large majority to secure victory. Mugabe campaigned in the re-run as the sole candidate. The opposition said a total of 113 of its activists were killed in election violence that began in March.
