Russia and Israel to continue talks on security in Middle East, says foreign minister

MOSCOW, October 15. / TASS /. Russia is interested in continuing consultations with Israel on security issues in the Middle East, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated on Friday in an article for the Israeli Newspaper ‘Yedioth Ahronoth’ dedicated to the 30th Anniversary of the Renewal of Diplomatic Relations Between Russia and Israel. "We are interested in continuing consultations with our Israeli partners on security and stability issues in the Middle East. We always draw attention to the fact that comprehensive solutions to the problems of the region must necessarily take into account the security interests of Israel," the Russian top diplomat said. "This is a matter of principle." At the same time, Lavrov noted that Moscow was convinced that there was no alternative to the two-state solution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on a widely recognized international legal basis. Russia supports direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians since it is the only way to achieve a solution to all issues of the final status, the foreign minister went on to say. "We are ready to work with Israeli colleagues, including multilateral formats, primarily in the context of the renewal of work of the Middle East Quartet of international mediators in close cooperation with representatives of the Arab League," Lavrov concluded. Read more