Moscow, Aug 1 (IANS): The Russian Foreign and Defence Ministers and their Japanese counterparts have met for the third round of their "2+2" Dialogue and agreed to explore further cooperation on security, Moscow said.

The ministerial consultations took place on Tuesday, according to a transcript of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

"We are united in the fact that the situation in the Asia-Pacific region is very difficult, as in the world arena as a whole," Xinhua news agency quoted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying.

The Minister confirmed that there will be focus on combating terrorism, ensuring international information security and combating corruption.

The positive developments on the Korean Peninsula were also welcomed as all parties involved were urged to maintain the fragile peace process with "restraint and flexibility".

The two sides also discussed issues related to the Middle East and Syria, including facilitating the return of refugees, aid deliveries and restoring infrastructure.

The "2+2" format was first adopted at a Russian-Japanese meeting in Tokyo in November 2013. Following the breakout of the Ukraine crisis in March 2014, Japan suspended the negotiations. It was not resumed until March 2017 when it took place in Tokyo.