Moscow. October 16. INTERFAX - On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin had telephone conversations with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, President of the State of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi, the Kremlin's press service reported.
"During all the talks, the main attention was paid to the sharply escalated Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Extreme concern was expressed about the large-scale escalation of hostilities, accompanied by a catastrophic increase in the number of civilian casualties and the deepening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. A unanimous opinion was expressed on the need for an early ceasefire, the establishment of a humanitarian truce in order to urgently provide assistance to all those in need," the message reads.
It notes that "the President of Russia listened to the views and assessments of colleagues who emphasized the severity of the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the need to lift the blockade of the sector for the immediate supply of medicines, food and other vital goods. There was also serious concern about the likelihood of the conflict escalating into a regional war."
"For his part, Vladimir Putin stressed the unacceptability of any form of violence against civilians and noted that Russia deeply empathizes with all the victims, relatives and friends of those killed as a result of armed confrontation and is ready to provide humanitarian assistance. The intention of the Russian side to coordinate efforts with all constructive partners in order to stop the fighting as soon as possible and stabilize the situation was confirmed. This is what the draft resolution submitted by Russia to the UN Security Council on declaring an immediate humanitarian truce, which is balanced and non-politicized, is aimed at," the message says.
"According to the general opinion, the reason for the current unprecedented escalation is the prolonged stagnation in the Middle East settlement process. In this context, Vladimir Putin once again outlined a principled position in favor of resuming the political process in order to reach a long-term and just solution to the Palestinian problem on a well-known international legal basis, which would provide for the creation of an independent Palestinian state coexisting in peace and security with Israel," the message reads.
