MOSCOW, May 2 /TASS/. Russian Presidential Envoy for the Middle East and Africa, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said on May 1 that Russia and China will help unite the Palestinian ranks during a meeting with Azzam al-Ahmed, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee and Fatah's Central Committee, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"Taking into account the results of the inter-Palestinian meetings in Moscow and Beijing, it was agreed to continue targeted efforts to unite the Palestinian ranks in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip on the political platform of the PLO, including with the coordinated assistance of Russia and China," the ministry said in a statement.

The Russian diplomats also said that during the conversation, al-Ahmed informed about his participation in the meeting of Fatah and Hamas delegations organized in Beijing. "It was stressed that this meeting was in line with the agreements reached at the inter-Palestinian consultations held in Moscow from February 29 to March 1, with emphasis on the need to unite all Palestinian political forces as soon as possible within the framework of the PLO, the only legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. At the same time, the task of creating a sovereign Palestinian state within the 1967 borders is of particular importance," the ministry said.

The talks were held at the initiative of the Palestinian side.