Russian President Vladimir Putin held a round of “comprehensive and detailed” talks on Tuesday with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the Kremlin said.
Putin underlined his country’s commitment to a settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict “on the basis of the relevant international resolutions and within the framework of a just solution that achieves the interests of all parties.”
Abbas reiterated his call for organizing an international conference for the Middle East.
At the beginning of the meeting, which took place in the Russian resort of Sochi on the Black Sea, Putin stressed that Moscow’s “firm position on settling the Palestinian issue has not changed.”
“The Palestinian problem must be resolved in accordance with previous UN Security Council resolutions, on a just basis that takes into account the interests of all,” the Russian president said, pledging to “continue to work towards achieving this goal, no matter how difficult it is.”
On bilateral relations, Putin said it was necessary to resume the work of the joint intergovernmental commission between Russia and Palestine as soon as possible.
Abbas emphasized his appreciation of Russia’s firm position in support of Palestinian rights, and pointed to the importance of maintaining coordination in order to address major developments facing Palestine and the region.
Prior to his arrival in Russia, the Palestinian president announced his intention to discuss ways to revive the political process.
In an interview with the Russian Sputnik agency, he said that he was counting on discussing the process with Putin, stressing his confidence in Russian support. He added that he was hinging on Moscow’s backing to organize an international peace conference.
“If the two-state solution is not implemented, there will be other alternatives, including going to a one-state solution for all Palestinian and Israeli citizens living on the land of historic Palestine, or returning to the partition resolution issued in 1947,” Abbas told the agency.
Earlier, Moscow confirmed its endeavor to revive the work of the International Quartet on the Middle East. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed disappointment over the reluctance of “some parties” to accept the repeated Russian invitation to hold a meeting at the level of foreign ministers of the Quartet.
The committee, which includes Russia, the United States, the United Nations and the European Union, held three video conferences in the past months at the level of delegates, but Moscow insisted that in order to push the talks further, a meeting must be organized at the ministerial level to take decisions and establish practical mechanisms to advance the settlement process in the Middle East.
