Russia has urged North Korea to abandon its plan to launch a rocket.

Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Borodavkin said that Moscow asked the North to refrain from launching a rocket, citing rising tensions in Northeast Asia.

He said all the issues which will emerge from a rocket launch must be resolved through dialogue and consultations with all parties concerned.

Borodavkin also urged related parties to calmly assess the situation, and take a clear-eyed view of it, without much agitation.

Russia is said to be closely monitoring the situation surrounding Pyongyang’s rocket launch even though it has remained low-key on the matter.