MOSCOW, October 8. /TASS/. Russia is ready to support the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview for the 'Bridges to the East' project posted on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s website.

"If we can be of help - we are ready. At the session of the Valdai International Discussion Club [Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin clearly said that we would like to assist in the creation of the Palestinian state, and we have to start somewhere," he said.

"Statehood should be [discussed] later. This goal should remain on the agenda. Our Western colleagues should bear their share of responsibility for stonewalling decisions related to the creation of independent Palestine in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip," the minister added.