MOSCOW, July 24 (Reuters) - Russia voiced concern on Thursday over a U.S. proposal to station elements of a missile defence shield in South Korea, saying the move could provoke an arms race in the region.

“Such U.S. statements cannot but cause concern,” the foreign ministry said in a statement. “This development will inevitably have a negative impact on the strategic situation in the region and could provoke an arms race in Northeast Asia.”

The commander of U.S. troops stationed in South Korea last month said he had proposed deploying an advanced missile-defence system to the country to counter the threat of North Korea’s weapons capabilities.