Vehicles transporting the South Korean delegation led by Cho Myoung-gyon, Minister of South Korean Unification Ministry, drive past a checkpoint on the Grand Unification Bridge that leads to the truce village of Panmunjom, just south of the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreans, in Paju, South Korea, January 9, 2018. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/Files

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia welcomes the agreements reached in talks between North Korea and South Korea, the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

“We hope that their implementation will serve to de-escalate tensions on the Korean peninsula and foster stability in this region,” the ministry said.

The talks were held on Tuesday on the South Korean side of the demilitarised zone, after a prolonged period of tension on the Korean peninsula over the North’s missile and nuclear programmes.