Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani stressed on Monday that joint cooperation between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Russia has helped develop relations and coordinate stances on common causes.
He hailed the continued strategic dialogue and coordination between the two sides on various issues.
He made his remarks at the GCC-Russia Joint Ministerial Meeting for Strategic Dialogue in Riyadh on Monday.
Al Thani noted the growing escalation in the region and unjustified violence as the suffering of the Palestinian people deepens. He noted the military escalation in the Red Sea region, warning that the entire stability of the region was under threat.
He hoped regional and international partners would exert all forms of necessary pressure to impose a ceasefire in the war on Gaza and immediately kick off a comprehensive political process that would lead to a just, comprehensive and sustainable solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Ending the war on Gaza is the first step in easing the tensions in the region and paving the way for permanent peace in the area, he remarked.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said cooperation between his country and the GCC was a priority for Russia’s foreign policy.
He stressed that it was “impossible” to achieve peace in the Middle East without resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
The international community “has failed in stopping the Israeli aggression and genocide in Gaza,” he added, describing the violence against the Palestinians as “unprecedented” in Arab-Israeli wars.
Moreover, he held the United States primarily responsible for obstructing all international resolutions aimed at reaching a ceasefire in Gaza.
Russia and the GCC, on the other hand, have exerted all efforts to end the fighting and establish an independent Palestinian state based on international resolutions, he went on to say.
He warned that failure to resolve pending disputes in the region would lead to a broad regional war.
GCC Secretary General Jasem Mohamed AlBudaiwi lamented that “many conflicts and crises plague our world today, seriously affecting its security and stability.”
The GCC member states are making every possible effort to contribute to resolving disputes and settling conflicts through dialogue, negotiations and peaceful diplomatic means, he added.
AlBudaiwi stressed that the ongoing Israeli violations against Palestinian civilians and the crimes committed by Israeli forces violate all human values and charters, including international law, humanitarian law, and relevant UN resolutions.
“This unfortunate reality highlights the failure of the international community to find a comprehensive and permanent solution to this tragic issue,” he noted.
AlBudaiwi urged the international community to take urgent, serious and decisive actions to protect civilians in Gaza and to support the State of Palestine's efforts to secure recognition from more countries, as well as to assist it in obtaining full membership in the UN and convene an international conference to achieve a comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution.
The Gulf foreign ministers also held the GCC-India Joint Ministerial Meeting for Strategic Dialogue and a similar strategic dialogue with Brazil.
