Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon says it would be desirable for South Korean and U.S. military officials to promptly hold discussions on Washington's plan to reconfigure its troop presence in South Korea.

Ban made the remarks Thursday during an interview with Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency in Vladivostok. He said the issue of U.S. forces stationed in South Korea is directly linked to the nation's security and is of the utmost interest to the Korean people.

He cited the upcoming 9th round of Korea-U.S. alliance policy initiative talks as providing a good opportunity for the two countries to discuss the U.S. plan to reconfigure its troops in South Korea and other parts of the world.

Ban is scheduled to return from a five-day trip to Russia Thursday.

During his stay there, Ban met with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov and agreed to make arrangements for President Roh Moo-hyun to visit Russia around mid-September. The two ministers also agreed to work closely together in the six-party framework to seek a peaceful resolution to North Korea's nuclear issue.