MOSCOW, February 14. /TASS/. Protecting the rights of Russian citizens abroad remains an unconditional priority amid the unbalanced world situation, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told the State Duma.

"The protection of legal rights of Russian citizens abroad remains among the unconditional priorities," he emphasized. "As you have seen, last year we also had to evacuate Russians from zones of potential crises and conflicts. We should be ready for this work on a permanent basis, given the unbalanced situation in the world, fraught with more crises."

Earlier, Lavrov said that Russia was continuing to organize the evacuation of Russian citizens from the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone. About 1,200 Russians and members of their families members, including citizens of other countries, were evacuated from the Gaza Strip.