MOSCOW, April 3. /TASS/. There are actors out there who don’t want to see a negotiated settlement on Iran, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a press conference after talks with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty.
The minister noted that Russia and Egypt are trying to achieve real results in crisis management, not just feigning diplomacy. Lavrov also said that "little strokes fell great oaks" when talking about the need to seek negotiations on a settlement in the Middle East.
TASS has compiled the key statements by the head of Russian diplomacy.
The situation in the Middle East
Moscow and Cairo are strategically aligned in their approach to the situation in the Middle East: "There can always be nuances, they are inevitable, but the strategic direction of the foreign policy of the Russian Federation and the Arab Republic of Egypt is the need to bring conflicting parties to the negotiating table in any crisis."
Russia and Egypt advocate "an immediate cessation of hostilities and a return to the political and diplomatic process" to resolve the situation in the Middle East.
The discussion of the situation in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone is unjustly being pushed to the back page, "because the problem has not disappeared."
The negotiation process and the controversial resolution
It is necessary to seek negotiations on a settlement in the Middle East: "Little strokes fell great oaks - we have such a proverb - and we must seek a cessation of hostilities and the start of talks. This is the only way to ensure that the parties sincerely want peace and a good future for their citizens and the citizens of affected countries."
There are forces that want to undermine the prospects for the talks on an Iranian settlement: "The adoption of a resolution that does not even mention that Iran has become a victim of aggression will antagonize the authorities in Tehran. This means that someone wants to undermine the prospects for negotiations that have been outlined or were being outlined. Unless, of course, everyone who talks about negotiations really wants peace talks. And it would be absolutely wrong to undermine such intentions."
A draft resolution proposed by Bahrain on the safety of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz cannot be approved by the UN Security Council: "Such a decision by the UN Security Council is unlikely to add to the chances of a peaceful settlement, let alone the credibility of this body."
The draft resolution can be used against Iran and peace in the region: "Either this resolution is planned or it will be used - it was probably planned with the best of intentions - to disrupt the emerging and still very fragile chances for negotiations. Or it will be used to legitimize retroactively the aggression against Iran."
The minister noted that the United States should not just demand that Iran unblock the Strait of Hormuz, but cease hostilities.
Russia and Egypt are trying to achieve real results in crisis management, not just posturing diplomatically: "The main thing for our Egyptian colleagues, as well as for us, is not to whip some kind of ‘a sensational foam’, excuse me for saying that, but to try to achieve a real result. And real work, it likes, of course, silence, and those who are engaged not in self-promotion, but in real work, I am convinced, will eventually succeed."
The Ukrainian settlement
Moscow is grateful to Cairo for its objective and balanced position on the Ukrainian crisis: "We expressed our gratitude to our colleagues for Egypt's objective, balanced position on the situation in and around Ukraine."
Russia informed Egypt about the progress of the special military operation: "We have informed them about Russia's principled approaches and the evolution of the situation in the Ukrainian crisis, including the situation on the ground and efforts to resolve this conflict based on the eradication of its root causes in detail. This is a matter of principle."
Intervision
Russia is counting on resuming contacts with Saudi Arabia on the Intervision international music competition after the situation in the Persian Gulf has stabilized: "Now as soon as the situation around the Persian Gulf calms down a little, and our relevant cultural organizations that are involved in this will resume contacts with their Saudi counterparts."