Russia and Japan have reaffirmed their position that there is no solution to the North Korean nuclear issue other than the six-party talks.

During meetings in Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Japanese counterpart Katsuya Okada agreed that conditions to resume the dialogue have improved and that all issues must be resolved within the six-way process.

Their remarks are regarded to be in response to speculation that once North Korea returns to talks and resumes denuclearization measures, a four-way dialogue excluding Russia and Japan could take place.