On January 24, in New York, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held a meeting with permanent Representatives of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states to the United Nations.
The exchange of views was devoted to the unprecedented escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Sergey Lavrov informed about the main results of his participation in the Security Council meeting on the Middle East held the day before, outlining in detail the Russian vision of the current turbulent processes in the region.
The meeting confirmed the closeness of the approaches of Russia and the Muslim world to the pressing issues on the Middle East agenda, including the conflict in the Gaza Strip. The urgency of a ceasefire between Israelis and Palestinians and the transfer of the situation to a political and diplomatic channel based on the decisions of the UN Security Council and General Assembly, the Arab Peace Initiative and the Madrid Principles, including the two-state formula, was emphasized. It presupposes the creation of an independent and sovereign Palestinian State within the 1967 borders. with its capital in East Jerusalem, coexisting in peace and security with Israel.
In light of the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territories and the high risks of plunging the entire Middle East into a major war, Sergey Lavrov emphasized the importance of consolidating the approaches of external players to the Palestinian-Israeli problem, which will help stabilize the situation “on the ground” and create prerequisites for launching the negotiation process. The key task in this context remains to ensure Palestinian national unity on the political platform of the Palestine Liberation Organization and to prevent the administrative and geographical fragmentation of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The necessity of forming an effective collective mediation mechanism with the leading role of the states of the Middle East was noted.
The Russian initiative to hold a consultative meeting in Moscow with the participation of the countries of the region and those international players who are interested in a conscientious and honest dialogue is designed to establish constructive multilateral cooperation in the field of the Palestinian-Israeli settlement.
