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Middle East conflict

Moscow baffled by Israel’s oversensitive reaction to Russian envoy’s interview

The diplomat highlighted the fact that Moscow views normalization of ties between Israel and its Arab neighbors as an opportunity to set up new channels of civilized conversation based on international law

Spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova Russian foreign Ministry press service/TASS

Spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova

© Russian foreign Ministry press service/TASS

MOSCOW, December 25. /TASS/. The remarks of Russian Ambassador in Tel Aviv Anatoly Viktorov in an interview with The Jerusalem Post are perfectly in line with Russia’s well-known position on Middle Eastern issues, Spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova said in a statement Friday.

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"We are confused by the overly sensitive reaction to the issues touched upon in the interview of our ambassadors to Israel. The position presented in it has been repeatedly communicated to Israeli colleagues on various levels. All statements by the Russian ambassador quoted in the publication are in line with Russia’s well-known position on the Middle East," she underlined.

The diplomat highlighted the fact that Moscow views normalization of ties between Israel and its Arab neighbors as an opportunity to set up new channels of civilized conversation based on international law and is coming from the premise that confrontation and refusal to engage in constructive dialogue only further complicate the efforts to look for compromises to achieve settlement of the Israeli-Arab conflict.

At the same time, according to Zakharova, Russia has always underlined that the issue of Palestine is central for ensuring peace in the Middle East because without settling it it is impossible to ensure a long-lasting and steady stabilization in the region. "For our part, we are ready to provide every support possible in attaining this goal as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, member of the Middle Eastern Quartet of international mediators and as a state that always backs constructive relations with all countries of the region, including Israel," she emphasized.

At the same time, the diplomat continued, Russia has never concealed its negative attitude to Israel’s airstrikes on Syria. "It is hard to deny that such actions further destabilize the complicated regional situation," she added.

"We reaffirm our interest in continuing regular consultations with Israeli partners on issues of security and stability in the Middle East. We highly appreciate the constructive dialogue of trust that we have. We are committed to continue taking into account Israel’s security concerns in the decision-making process, as our envoy to Israel noted in the interview," the diplomat concluded.

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