Russia strongly condemns DPRK's nuclear test

The Russian Foreign Ministry on Friday strongly condemned the latest nuclear warhead explosion test executed by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

"Such demonstrative disregard for international law and opinion of the international community deserves the strongest condemnation," the ministry said in a statement.

The DPRK's state-run television reported early Friday that the country had conducted a nuclear warhead explosion test. It was Pyongyang's fifth nuclear test, which followed the previous one by eight months.

The action undermined the global non-proliferation regime, and poses a serious threat to peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and in the Asia-Pacific region, the statement added.

The ministry warned that the nuclear test, executed in violation of UN Security Council resolutions, will have negative consequences primarily for the DPRK itself.

It called on Pyongyang to stop dangerous adventures, strictly obey all requirements of the UN Security Council, abandon its missile and nuclear programs, and return to the regime of the Non-Proliferation Treaty of nuclear weapons.

Moscow urged all parties concerned to refrain from steps that could lead to further escalation of tension, and confirmed its readiness for a "very tight coordination of steps aiming to elaborate an international response to Pyongyang's provocative actions," said the statement.

The Russian side remains firmly committed to a political and diplomatic settlement of the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula through appropriate negotiations, it added.

In January, the DPRK carried out a test of what it called its first H-bomb. It also conducted underground nuclear tests respectively in 2006, 2009 and 2013.