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Press release on Russia's efforts in the Middle East peace process

22 June 2023 17:03
1225-22-06-2023

Positive dynamics have been gaining momentum in the Middle East, manifested, in particular, in the improvement of relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran and the resumption of Syria's membership in the Arab League. These positive trends were facilitated by the steps taken by the countries in the region to achieve a peaceful resolution of conflicts and disagreements through dialogue and neighbourly interaction and with due regard for their national interests.

At the same time, certain aspects of the Middle East peace process remained excluded from these processes, primarily the Palestinian issue. The remaining tensions in the area of the Palestinian-Israeli confrontation regularly lead to violence, which results in civilian casualties and destabilises not only the region, but the global situation as well.

At this stage, collective diplomacy to facilitate the Arab-Israeli settlement has stalled. This largely happened because the United States and the European Union decided to unilaterally suspend the activities of the Middle East quartet of international mediators consisting of Russia, the United States, the EU and the UN.

In this regard, in the wake of Russia's presidency of the UN Security Council in April, including the Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, which was chaired by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, our country advanced an initiative to hold a consultation between Russia, the Arab League and a group of regional states actively involved in the Middle East peace process dossier.

Our proposal is not intended to establish any new formats or bodies. Its goal is to reaffirm and give a fresh impetus to the implementation of previously adopted international decisions in this sphere, including the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council and the General Assembly, the Arab Peace Initiative, the Madrid Terms of Reference, including the land for peace principle, and the two-state solution - a framework for Palestine and Israel to coexist in peace and security. Russia is committed to the creation of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. Our approach is consistent and is not subject to situational changes.

We believe that the discussion we are initiating would contribute to coordinating the approaches and efforts of the leading Middle Eastern players on the peace process track, including efforts to end the inter-Palestinian divide, and would help create the necessary conditions in the future for the resumption of a direct Palestinian-Israeli dialogue on a set of final status issues.

We are open to further discussion of the proposal put forward by the Russian Federation.