Moscow. February 8. INTERFAX - Director of the Department of the Middle East and North Africa (DBSA) In an interview with Interfax on the eve of the Diplomatic Worker's Day celebrated on February 10, Russian Foreign Ministry Alexander Kinshchak spoke about the continued expansion of Russia's cooperation with the countries of the Middle East, about the interest in maintaining stable relations with Israel and outlined the main task of the international community in creating a Palestinian state.
- In recent years, including due to the sharp deterioration of relations with the West, Russia has begun to pay even more attention to expanding comprehensive ties with the countries of the Middle East region. How successful is this process? Do the conflict over the Gaza Strip and the crisis situation in the Red Sea slow down the dynamics of Russia's cooperation with the countries of the Middle East?
- We have always considered the Arab world as a natural ally of Russia, playing a significant role in international affairs and possessing the richest cultural, economic and political potential. Our special friendly relations with the countries of the region are of a historical nature. Many of our Arab partners still warmly recall how actively and productively we cooperated during the Soviet era on the solid basis of mutual respect and common interests, including during the joint struggle against colonialism. I can say with confidence that at the present stage, and even before the aggravation of Russia's relations with the West that you mentioned, we were successfully working to expand our diverse partnership.
We are pleased to note the significant growth in trade turnover in recent years with a number of Middle Eastern capitals, despite attempts by Washington and its allies to undermine our economic ties. The existing mechanisms of bilateral intergovernmental commissions and business councils are working effectively. Contacts between relevant departments and economic operators have noticeably intensified. The Russian Foreign Ministry, our embassies in the region and the diplomatic missions of Arab countries in Moscow are actively contributing to this. Of course, the vector and pace of development of our relations are set during negotiations with our regional partners at a high and top level. Russian President Vladimir Putin is in constant contact with his Middle Eastern counterparts, as clearly evidenced by the intensity of his meetings and telephone conversations with Arab leaders.
Our partnership with the countries of the Middle East and North Africa is based on a common approach to the need to establish a just world order based on genuine multipolarity and respect for international law, primarily the UN Charter. We support the attitude of our Arab friends to independently solve all existing problems and contradictions, without external dictates and the imposition of "ready-made recipes" according to Western patterns. For our part, we are ready to contribute constructively to the development of such ways of resolving disputed situations that would suit the regional States directly involved in these conflicts.
Taking into account the above, answering the second part of your question, I can say that our bilateral relations with the countries of the region are strengthening regardless of the current situation in the development of the military-political situation in the Middle East. Russia, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a reliable partner of all states located in the region, including Arab countries, Israel and their neighbors, will continue to work in close coordination with allies and like-minded people in the interests of ensuring overall stabilization of the situation and crisis resolution by political and diplomatic means.
- Is there an active development of relations with the Arab countries of the region to the detriment of the close trusting relations with Israel that have developed over the past decades?
- Building our relations with partners in the region, we do not aim to set them against each other. This also applies to Israel. There is no "double bottom" in our work in the Middle East, no hidden agenda. And our Israeli colleagues know this well.
We attach great importance to maintaining the stable nature of Russian-Israeli cooperation, which is not influenced by geopolitical factors. We are interested in its further development in various fields. As I said above, contacts between the leaders of our countries set a positive tone for bilateral cooperation. During the last telephone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in December 2023, the mutual commitment to maintaining a trusting political dialogue was confirmed, and the importance of regular "checking the clock" on key regional issues was noted.
- The key point of the Russian position on the settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is the creation of a Palestinian state. What can the international community and the UN do to achieve this? Can Palestine already become a full-fledged UN member without observer status?
- The international legal basis for the creation of a Palestinian State has long been agreed upon and is well known. We are talking about the relevant resolutions of the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council. They must be fulfilled. The main thing that the international community can and should do, including through the UN, is to help the parties to the conflict establish a stable and constructive political dialogue aimed at resolving all disputed issues. As a result of such negotiations, a new sovereign State of Palestine should appear on the world map, which will coexist in peace and security with Israel. Of course, this is a very difficult task that has not been solved for many decades. But there is simply no reasonable alternative to this approach.
As for the second part of your question, there is an approved procedure for granting a state full membership in the United Nations. As you know, Russia has long recognized the State of Palestine in its national capacity. The responsibility for making the necessary decision lies with other members of the UN Security Council, primarily the United States, whose position on the Palestinian problem is well known.
