MOSCOW, June 9. /TASS/. Russia supports direct negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis to resolve the issue of Palestinian lands, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
"Instead of following the path of breaking international law and engaging in experiments divorced from reality, the tragic consequences of which are in plain sight, it is necessary to focus on launching direct negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis, where issues of the final status of Palestinian lands and the parameters of a two-state formula should be discussed in practical terms, which should be acceptable to the parties involved," the diplomat's comment on the ministry's website says.
Zakharova said that the Russian position is consistent and is based on the trust of the countries of the region in Russia’s foreign policy.
"We advocate a negotiated settlement of the Palestinian problem and other regional contradictions. It is necessary for historical justice to prevail and for the Palestinians to be able to establish an independent state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip with East Jerusalem as its capital, co-existing in peace and security with Israel," she said.
Zakharova said that Moscow is open to cooperation on this basis with constructive partners. "It is important that all external forces strictly adhere to the binding resolutions of the UN Security Council, act according to the same rules, sending coordinated signals to the parties to the conflict. Russia's initiatives, in particular the proposal approved by the United Nations to convene an international conference on the Middle East, are aimed at solving these tasks," the diplomat concluded.