Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will hold a meeting with the delegation of the Arab League contact group on Ukraine in Moscow on Monday. As is known, in addition to the Secretary-General, the group will include the foreign ministers of five countries - Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq and Sudan.
The organization is ready to promote a political settlement between Russia and Ukraine. According to Hossam Zaki, Assistant Secretary-General of the League, the delegation arrived in Moscow precisely for this purpose.
The group's goal
The Arab League is the largest organization in the Middle East, with 21 countries, and has offices or information bureaus in many countries around the world.
The decision to create a contact group on the Ukrainian crisis was made at a meeting of the Arab League's Council in Cairo on March 9. Its task is to "monitor and conduct the necessary consultations and contacts with all interested parties in order to help find a diplomatic solution to the crisis".
Position on Ukraine
A few days after the start of the special military operation of Russian forces in Ukraine, the Arab League convened a meeting of permanent representatives of the community at the initiative of Egypt in order to agree on a position on the conflict.
It is noteworthy that the LAS countries had different views on the crisis in Ukraine. As a result, the leaders of the organization declared a neutral position on this issue. At the same time, the organization expressed concern about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Ukraine.
In addition, the League maintains friendly relations with Moscow and Kiev, and, as a consequence, has not resorted to condemnation of any of the parties. According to Zaki, the organization also seeks to coordinate positions to help Arab communities in Ukraine.
Own interests
The League's concerns about the Ukrainian crisis include the global economic and food security issues that the situation around Ukraine has entailed.
In particular, Arab League countries traditionally buy food products, including grain, from Russia and Ukraine. According to the International Grain Union, Russia and Ukraine account for almost a quarter of global wheat exports and a fifth of global barley exports. Since the beginning of February, global grain prices have jumped by 22-37%.
Secretary-General of the organization Ahmed Aboul Gheit also said that the Arab League "must think and work to find ways and strategies to reduce this suffering to a minimum". He also stressed that Arab countries must be guided by national interests in the Ukrainian crisis.
At the same time, the leaders and representatives of the League continue their contacts with both the Russian and Ukrainian sides. In late March, Egyptian leader Abdel Fattah al-Sisi spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart Vladimir Zelensky, and Jordan announced the evacuation of its nationals from Ukraine.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on materials from TASS