Russia expects that the meeting of the Syrian Constitutional Committee scheduled for August will take place and intends to actively support the promotion of such work, the Russian President's Special Representative for the Middle East and Africa, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov told an open interview with the first Deputy Director-General of TASS Mikhail Gusman.
The Deputy Minister noted that the coronavirus pandemic had left a certain imprint on his work.
"Recently, Geir Pedersen, the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary - General for Syria, reported to the Security Council in a video format that the next meeting between Syrians within the framework of the Constitutional Commission was planned in August. We will actively support the promotion of this work," Bogdanov said.
On June 16, Pedersen, speaking to the UN Security Council via video link, said that the third meeting of the Syrian Constitutional Committee could be held in Geneva at the end of August, if the restrictions on flights were lifted.
The first meeting of the Syrian Constitutional Committee was held in October last year in Geneva. The Committee was formed in accordance with a resolution adopted on January 31, 2018 in Sochi by the Congress of the Syrian national dialogue.
The Deputy Foreign Minister also said that the Ministry was considering the possibility of visiting the charge d'affaires in Libya Jamshed Boltayev to various regions of the country while ensuring all necessary security measures.
"We do not exclude that our charge d'affaires will be able, subject to the necessary security measures, to visit not only Tripoli, but also other regions of the country - both the East of Libya and the South of Libya - in order to establish and develop contacts with all the Libyan parties, encouraging them to inter - Libyan inclusive dialogue to ensure the unity and territorial integrity of Libya," he said.
The Deputy Minister said that active work on the implementation of projects to create free trade zones between Russia and Egypt, as well as between the Eurasian economic Union (EEU) and Jordan wouldcontinue.
"This is a very promising area, and not only Russian business and our economic interests are linked to the implementation of these projects, but also the broader format of the EEU," he said. "We will continue working in this direction, it has been delayed a bit, because there have been changes in the leadership of the EEU and the Egyptian government, but everyone understands the importance and prospects of our cooperation."
The Deputy Minister noted that the multilateral agreement required by this format made the work a little more difficult. "Nevertheless, our leadership and the leadership of the EEU fully understand that both Egypt and Jordan are of great interest. Egypt can become a platform for access to other countries of the African continent, " Bogdanov added.
Developing the topic of Russian-African cooperation, the Deputy Foreign Minister said that Russia aimed to respond to all requests from countries in Africa and the Middle East in the framework of assistance to combat the pandemic.
"About 30 African countries have asked us for help. <...> We are asked for help in the form of medical supplies and equipment, ventilators, ambulances, field hospitals, test systems, personal protective equipment," Bogdanov said. "There are requests to send our doctors to certain African countries, to train specialists and medical personnel from African countries."
The Russian Deputy Foreign Minister confirmed that Moscow would meet all these requests as far as possible. "These are the instructions and instructions of our top political leadership. The government is working, as are our respective ministries and agencies that deal with this issue. Assistance is being provided along all these lines, " he said, adding that Russian companies are also actively providing assistance.
In the Middle East region, Russia has responded in particular to requests from Algeria, Iraq, Syria, and Sudan. "At the request of the authorities of Bahrain, Iraq and the UAE, they were provided with comprehensive information about domestic antiviral drugs. We are actively cooperating with our Israeli partners and are in contact with the Palestinian authorities," Bogdanov added.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
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