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Russian, Ethiopian diplomats discuss situation in Middle East, Africa

MOSCOW, December 12. /TASS/. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov and Ethiopian Foreign Minister Hirut Zemene have discussed the situation in the Middle East and regional agenda in Africa, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

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Putin: Middle East settlement possible only with effective cooperation of all countries

The topic for consultations was the situation at the United Nations Organization in the framework of Ethiopia’s upcoming membership in UN Security Council in 2017-2018, the foreign ministry said. "The sides discussed the prospects of Russian-Ethiopian cooperation at UN. They expressed mutual interest in constructive development of Russian-Ethiopian cooperation with use of existing potential, proceeding from the similarity of approaches on several relevant issues that are on the agenda of UN Security Council," the ministry added.

"Special attention was paid to discussing issues of peacekeeping and regional topics in Africa, first of all situation in Mali, DRC, Burundi, Sudan, South Sudan, CAR, Somalia," the foreign ministry stressed.

"Other topics were also touched upon as they arise mutual concern, including the state of Middle Eastern settlement, search for political resolution of the conflict in Syria, normalization of the situation in Libya and Yemen," the ministry said. "In this context, the sides noted similarity in approaches to uncompromising struggle against international terrorism. The sides agreed to boost exchange of opinions on different international matters, including at UN SC, with consideration of mutual interests and priorities," the foreign ministry concluded.

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