UNITED NATIONS – Russia on Tuesday called for stepped-up diplomatic efforts to solve the confrontations over the nuclear programs of Iran and North Korea, saying that ending both of those disputes would improve the global nonproliferation regime, Reuters reported.

"We see no alternative to their political and diplomatic settlement and taking concrete steps to create conditions for the resumption of negotiations," Russian Foreign Minister Sergeil Lavrov told the 193-nation UN General Assembly.

"We call on all partners to address these tasks with utmost responsibility," …..

 

Lavrov also said Russia and its partners in the "BRICS" bloc of emerging market economies are not looking for a fight.

The BRICS group -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa -- has resisted attempts by the UN Security Council to impose sanctions on Syria as the country is entangled in a conflict with the opponents at home. 

"BRICS does not aim at confrontation with anyone," he said. "Its goal is to enhance productive multilateral collaboration to address the urgent problems of the contemporary world."

By coincidence, all five BRICS nations are currently on the Security Council, where they have managed to block U.S. and European efforts to impose UN sanctions on Syria.