Press release on Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s meeting with heads of diplomatic missions of Arab countries and a representative of the League of Arab States

On November 1, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with the Moscow-accredited heads of the diplomatic missions of Arab states and a representative of the Arab League.

The discussion centred around a comprehensive analysis of the developments in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone, in view of the unprecedented spike in tensions that has claimed the lives of 8,000 Palestinians and 1,400 Israelis.

In his remarks, Sergey Lavrov confirmed Russia’s principled position in favour of immediate ceasefire, ensuring the security of civilians, complying with international humanitarian law, opening humanitarian corridors, organising evacuation from Gaza and releasing hostages. The minister informed the Arab ambassadors about the measures being taken by Russia in the UN Security Council to stop the bloodshed and steer the situation to the political and diplomatic track.

The Russian side emphasised the importance of intensifying international efforts to create conditions for resuming a full-scale peace process. It was stressed that the peace talks must be grounded in the decisions of the UN and the Arab Peace Initiative, including the two-state principle, according to which a settlement must include the establishment of an independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, with a capital in East Jerusalem, co-existing with Israel in peace and security.

Members of the Arab diplomatic corps expressed gratitude for Russia’s efforts to bring about rapid de-escalation in the conflict zone and ensure humanitarian assistance to the population of Gaza. They confirmed that it is unacceptable to politicise the work on this agenda in the UN Security Council as it is also unacceptable that several Western countries had taken a confrontational stance. The ambassadors unanimously supported the principled position that there is no alternative to a negotiated two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and stressed the importance of forming a collective mediation mechanism in which the Middle Eastern countries would play a leading role.

High praise was expressed for President of Egypt Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s efforts to organise humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza and convene a Cairo peace summit on October 21, during which leaders of the countries in the region presented their vision for breaking the vicious cycle of violence between the Palestinians and the Israelis.