THE UNITED NATIONS, January 23. /TASS/. The United Nations welcomes Russian President Vladimir Putin’s initiative to organize a meeting between the leaders of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council to discuss global problems, Deputy Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General Farhan Haq said on Thursday.

"I can say simply that we encourage dialogue among Member States as a matter of principle. To that extent, we welcome any proposals for dialogue among the five permanent members of the Security Council," Haq told TASS.

Speaking at the World Holocaust Forum earlier on Thursday, Putin suggested organizing a summit of the leaders of Russia, China, the United States, France and Britain in 2020 to discuss world affairs. He said such a meeting could be held "in any country and at any place in the world that the counterparts find convenient." Moscow, in his words, is ready "for such a serious discussion" and plans to send corresponding messages to these countries’ leaders without delay.