Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov discussed with Palestinian Minister of Civil Affairs Hussein al-Sheikh, who arrived in Moscow as a special envoy of President Mahmoud Abbas, steps to strengthen bilateral relations and the upcoming general elections in Palestine. This was stated in a Russian Foreign Ministry statement issued on Tuesday following the meeting held the day before.
"The parties discussed topical issues of further strengthening the traditionally friendly Russian-Palestinian relations with an emphasis on the task of implementing the agreements reached during top-level contacts," the Foreign Ministry reports. - "The Palestinian side expressed its gratitude for the assistance rendered by Moscow in overcoming the new coronavirus pandemic in the territory of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip".
The Russian side also welcomed Abbas' decision to hold general elections in Palestine in three stages for the first time in 15 years. "The importance of the agreement on the issue of elections within the framework of contacts between the main Palestinian political forces, first of all [the political movements] of Fatah and Hamas was noted," the ministry continued. - "It was stressed that the success of the agreed democratic procedures would be a decisive factor in the efforts to restore Palestinian national unity as soon as possible on the political platform of the Palestine Liberation Organization. In this context, Moscow's constant readiness to support such constructive efforts, including through the organization of another pan-Palestinian meeting in the Russian capital, was confirmed.
The parties touched on the topic of the Palestinian-Israeli settlement. "The leading role of the Middle East "quartet" of international mediators consisting of Russia, the US, the UN and the EU as a unique and UN Security Council-approved mechanism to accompany the Palestinian-Israeli negotiation process was stressed," the statement concluded.
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Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on materials from TASS