Resolve Korean Peninsula issue in civilized way: Putin

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Russia has always favored a civilized way to settle all disputes, including the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, said President Vladimir Putin at the 14th annual meeting of Russian thinktank Valdai Discussion Club on Thursday.

Putin restated Russia's condemnation of nuclear tests carried out by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and called for attention to the fact that Moscow continues to comply with all the decisions by UN Security Council about the DPRK nuclear issue.

At the same time, he warned the international community against driving Pyongyang into a corner, emphasizing that whether one likes or dislikes the nation, DPRK remains a sovereign country, according to an official transcript of his speech.

Photo from valdaiclub.com

"We are firmly convinced that even the most complex knots -- be it the crisis in Syria or Libya, the Korean Peninsula or Ukraine -- must be disentangled rather than cut," he said.

This year, the Valdai meeting brought together over 130 participants from 33 countries.

Alongside the President of Russia, the speakers at the final session included former President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai, Research Director at the Norwegian Nobel Institute Asle Toje, and Executive Chairman of China's Alibaba Group Jack Ma.

(With input from Xinhua News Agency)

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