MOSCOW, June 22. /TASS/. Moscow has called for a meeting between Russia, the League of Arab States and some regional countries to discuss the Middle East settlement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

The ministry said that collective diplomacy in the area of the Arab-Israeli settlement has stalled, in connection with the unilateral decision of the EU and the US to freeze the activities of the Middle East Quartet.

"Following Russia's presidency in the UN Security Council in April, including Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's chairmanship of the UNSC meeting on the agenda item called The Situation in the Middle East, Including the Palestinian Question, our country has put forward an initiative to hold a consultative meeting between Russia, the LAS and a group of regional countries that are closely involved in the Middle East settlement," the ministry said.

The ministry said Russia is open to further discussion of its proposal.

"We believe that the discussion we have started will help synchronize the approaches and efforts of the leading Middle Eastern players on the Middle East settlement track, including on the issue of overcoming the inter-Palestinian rift, and will further help form the necessary conditions for resuming a direct Palestinian-Israeli dialogue on a host of definitive issues," the statement said.

The ministry said the proposal aims to give impetus to previously adopted UN agreements.

It also noted the positive trend of improving relations between Middle Eastern countries has recently been gaining momentum.

"These positive trends have become possible owing to countries in the region adopting a course toward peaceful resolution of conflicts and disagreements in accordance with their national interests on the basis of dialogue and the principles of good neighborliness," the statement said.