North Korea Should Cease Nuclear Power Ambitions - Russian Foreign Minister

North Korea should refrain from irresponsible attempts at gaining nuclear power status, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday at the Moscow Conference on International Security.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Tuesday, reports emerged of North Korea preparing to launch another medium-range ballistic missile later in April.

"We hope that Pyongyang will reject irresponsible actions and realize the illusive nature of its attempts at becoming a nuclear power. At the same time, we consider attempts by certain countries to use the situation as a pretext for stepping up military presence in northeastern Asia to be dangerous and counterproductive," Lavrov said.

On April 14, North Korea reportedly deployed up to two Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missiles on its eastern coast. The following day, the South Korean military said the North appeared to have tried a missile launch, which ended in a failure.

"We are convinced that bolstering stability in the Asia-Pacific region must contribute to creating reliable mechanisms for ensuring equitable and indivisible security, mechanisms that are based on principles of non-alignment," Lavrov said.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula escalated after North Korea successfully carried out a hydrogen bomb test in early January and put a satellite into orbit a month later, violating UN Security Council resolutions and triggering condemnation from the international community.