DUBAI, July 11. /TASS/. Russia and the member countries of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, also known as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) stressed the importance of maintaining the territorial integrity, independence, and sovereignty of Syria, according to a joint statement adopted following the ministerial meeting of the Russia-GCC strategic dialogue in Moscow.

According to the document, "The ministers [of foreign affairs] stressed the importance of maintaining the territorial integrity, independence, unity, and sovereignty of Syria and expressed support for the efforts of [UN Secretary General's] Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen."

The parties also welcomed the restoration of diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia and expressed their hope that the normalization of relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia "would be a positive step towards resolving differences and ending all regional disputes through diplomacy and dialogue. At the same time, the ministers stressed the need to respect regional sovereignty, the principle of non-interference in internal affairs, the UN Charter and international law.