« This meeting is held in a context marked by an unprecedented escalation of the situation in the Middle East and lingering turmoil in the world “, Lavrov said at the opening ceremony of the 6th Russian-Arab Cooperation Forum, chaired by Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita.
In this regard, the Russian head of diplomacy deplored the unprecedented escalation of violence in the Middle East where tens of thousands have been killed or injured, mostly women and children.
« The situation has greatly deteriorated in the Gaza Strip due to the blockade imposed by Israel, » he said, affirming that his country’s priority is to stop the bloodshed and create the conditions for the delivery of humanitarian aid.
“The cycle of violence is likely to continue and recur until the long-term injustice underlying the conflict is eliminated and the Palestinian people exercise their right to establish their own State with Jerusalem-East, on the 1967 borders, as the capital,” the Russian minister underlined, believing that only a balanced approach, based on international law, can lead to lasting peace.
Lavrov also recalled that « Russia’s principled position is in line with Arab countries’, as it was reaffirmed during the Extraordinary Arab-Islamic Summit on November 11 in Riyadh, stressing that « our common task is to help the parties engage in a negotiation process in order to overcome their differences. »
In this context, he called for establishing a common diplomatic mechanism to materialize the decisions of the international community.
On another note, Lavrov said that the Russian-Arab Cooperation Forum, created in 2009, has established itself in recent years as an important mechanism for bringing closer the positions of Russia and the Arab world on a wide range of issues of common interest, expressing his gratitude to HM King Mohammed VI for the organization of the 6th edition of this Forum.
Recalling the previous meeting, held in Moscow in 2019, which adopted an action plan for the implementation of the objectives of this common mechanism, he considered that despite the adjustments imposed by Covid-19, much of this action plan has been implemented.
“This contributes to the development of multidimensional and mutually beneficial Russian-Arab cooperation,” he said.
Today’s meeting, Lavrov noted, provides an opportunity to comprehensively discuss the prospects for consolidating Russian-Arab cooperation in trade, economy, culture, education and health.
