Russia has reiterated its hope that North Korea will return to the six-way nuclear talks.

In an interview with local media Thursday, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Moscow believes the North will not abandon the dialogue framework. He then urged Pyongyang to swiftly return to the negotiating table.

Ryabkov expressed concerns over the North’s expulsion of international inspectors and its boycott of the six-nation talks following the adoption of a U.N. Security Council statement denouncing Pyongyang for a rocket it launched earlier in the month. He stressed that keeping North Korea within the negotiation framework is imperative.

The Russian official said Moscow and Washington are holding extensive discussions on contentious issues concerning the Korean Peninsula, adding that finding a way to get the North back to the bargaining table is topping their discussions.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is scheduled to visit Pyongyang on Friday. He is the first senior official of a nation taking part in the six-way nuclear talks to visit the communist state since the North’s rocket launch.