MOSCOW, October 21. /TASS/: Russia believes that it is necessary to immediately start negotiating the strategy of collective steps to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Russian Presidential Special Envoy for the Middle East, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said at the Cairo Peace Summit looking for solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The text of his speech was posted on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s website.
"Simultaneously with resolving the emergency tasks of stopping the current spiral of violence, it is necessary to immediately start negotiating the strategy of collective measures for a political settlement of the conflict, as the task of promoting this was previously handled by the Quartet of international mediators comprising Russia, the United States, the European Unions and the United Nations," he said.
The diplomat added that the establishment of a collective mediation mechanism with an active role of regional nations is on the agenda.
"This is supported by the positive trends that have recently taken shape in the development of the Middle East situation, namely the Saudi-Iranian normalization, Syria’s reintegration into the Arab League and the gradual recovery of interstate relations between Syria and Turkey. All this proves that when the regional nations take the situation into their own hands, not being under external pressure, they achieve a lot on the way to stabilizing the Middle East," Bogdanov said.
Bodganov pointed out that "Russian diplomacy is making intensive efforts to de-escalate the situation."
"Russian President Vladimir Putin held telephone talks with the leaders of Arab nations, Iran and Israel. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has sent urgent messages to his regional counterparts," the high-ranking diplomat said.
"Obviously, it is impossible to resolve the Palestinian problem with palliative measures, material incentives, and ideas of economic peace. Likewise, it is impossible to freeze the conflict in a low-intensity mode. The parties must break the vicious cycle of violence, give up unilateral steps, including the takeover of Palestinian lands for settlements, as well as the undermining of the status of Jerusalem’s shrines," the diplomat said.
Bogdanov recalled that Russia’s stance has always been and remains principled and consistent. It means that a stable negotiation process on a UN-brokered platform needs to be established, and that should result in the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, which capital will be East Jerusalem and which will coexist with Israel in peace and security.
