25 Feb 2013 11:51

Moscow objects to building "military muscle" under North Korean nuclear test excuse

MOSCOW. Feb 25 (Interfax) - Russia opposes growth of the regional military potential under the excuse of North Korean nuclear tests, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at the Ministry's Diplomatic Academy on Monday.

"We think it is wrong to use the occasion for building military muscle in that region, readying for retribution, holding large-scale military exercises and mounting the missile potential aimed against the DPRK," he said.

"A gun hanging on the wall will fire at some point: the more firing hardware is amassed in any conflict zone, especially as contemporary hardware is high-tech, the bigger the risk of a military scenario," he said.

"We will do everything in our power to prevent that," Lavrov said.