Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said his country is counting on its regional and international partners to impose a ceasefire in Gaza.
In a speech at the opening of the ministerial meeting of the strategic dialogue between the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and Russia in the Saudi capital, the Qatari Prime Minister stressed “rejection of any attempt at demographic or regional change in the Gaza Strip”, stressing “the need to take steps to achieve the two-state solution that guarantees the establishment of a Palestinian state.”
Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman said, “We are counting on our regional and international partners to impose a ceasefire in Gaza and start a comprehensive political process that leads to a comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue.”
For his part, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned that the Middle East region is “on the brink of a major regional war that cannot be allowed” and said that his country is “working with all parties in this regard”, considering that “the Middle East will not be able to develop in a stable manner without resolving the Palestinian problem.”
During the same meeting, Lavrov praised the role of Qatari mediation in finding a political solution in Palestine. He said, “The inability of the international community to stop the fighting in the Gaza Strip has led to a sharp deterioration in the military-political situation throughout the Middle East, from the Lebanese border to the Red Sea, while at the same time the confrontation between Israel and Iran has reached a new dangerous level.”
The Russian minister pointed out that “the international community failed to stop the aggression and killing in Gaza,” stressing that “the current violence against the Palestinians is unprecedented, and has not been witnessed in any of the Arab-Israeli wars.”
Lavrov said, “The United States of America was the reason for obstructing all international legitimacy decisions to cease fire in Gaza.”
He stressed, in return, that “Russia and the Gulf Cooperation Council are making every effort to reach a ceasefire and establish an independent Palestinian state on the basis of international legitimacy resolutions.”
Prior to the launch of the strategic dialogue between the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and Russia at the ministerial level, GCC Secretary-General Jassim Al-Badawi held a meeting today with Lavrov, during which they discussed several issues, especially strengthening Gulf-Russian relations.
The Secretary-General of the Cooperation Council said during the meeting that developing relations between Russia and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries “represents an important priority for us in the field of economy, technology and trade.”