MOSCOW, January 19. /TASS/. The Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the United Nations has adopted a declaration in which its member states called for an end to the bloodshed in the Gaza Strip and for creating a fair multipolar world order, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

The group’s fifth meeting was held in Uganda, on the sidelines of the 19th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit. The Russian delegation was led by Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin.

"A general political declaration was adopted in the wake of the event, reflecting coordinated approaches of the Group of Friends in Defense of the UN Charter’s member states, [calling for] an end to the bloodshed in Gaza and creating a fair multuipolar world order in strict compliance with the spirit and letter of the global organization’s Charter," the ministry said in a statement.

Participants of the meeting had a detailed discussion of the situation in the Gaza Strip and the Middle Eastern region in general.

"A collective opinion was expressed about the importance of an immediate ceasefire needed for putting an end to suffering of the civilian population and for reinvigorating efforts towards a long-term fair settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on the well-known international legal basis," the statement says.

Russia’s chief delegate, Sergey Vershinin, delivered a speech to "emphasize the natural processes that pave the way to genuine multipolarity, such as the emergence of new centers of power among the developing nations, which are laying a justified claim for a more significant role in global affairs."

The Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the United Nations was created with Russia’s active participation in July 2021. Currently, it brings together 19 nations: Algeria, Angola, Belarus, Bolivia, Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Iran, Cambodia, China, North Korea, Cuba, Laos, Nicaragua, Palestine, Russia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Syria, Equatorial Guinea and Eritrea.

The group’s participants oppose attempts to replace the UN-centric model of international affairs with the "rule-based order.".