Press release on Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman

During an in-depth exchange on the regional situation with a focus on the situation in Syria, Iraq, Libya and Yemen, the ministers agreed that terrorism is the main threat to stability in the Middle East and North Africa. In this context, it was noted that the international community must consolidate its efforts in order to effectively combat this universal evil. The Russian Foreign Minister focused on Russia's proposals for a comprehensive review of this issue under the auspices of the UN Security Council.

Discussing Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, Foreign Minister Lavrov said there was no alternative to a negotiated settlement of the Palestinian problem. He confirmed that Russia will continue its efforts through bilateral channels and various multilateral formats, primarily, the Middle East Quartet, to revive Israeli-Palestinian talks, which should result in the creation of an independent, contiguous and viable Palestinian State coexisting with Israel in peace and security.

They also touched on the Iranian nuclear programme. Mr Liberman received a detailed update on the current status of the negotiations between the six world powers and Iran.

There was a substantive discussion of practical aspects of bilateral cooperation, including the prospects for further expanding the countries' business partnership following the 11th session of the Joint Russian-Israeli Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation held in Jerusalem in October 2014.

In addition, the ministers signed a Plan of Consultations between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Israel for 2015.