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Senior Russian diplomat meets with Lebanese foreign minister, UN officials in Cairo

It is reported that the forum was dedicated to discussing ways to ensure that injured and needy residents of Gaza receive safe and unhindered access to emergency aid

MOSCOW, December 3. /TASS/. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin met with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and his Lebanese counterpart Abdallah Bou Habib, as well as a number of UN officials, on the sidelines of the Egyptian conference on the Gaza Strip.

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, on December 2, Vershinin took part in the Egyptian-hosted "A Year Since the Humanitarian Catastrophe in Gaza: Urgent Needs, Lasting Solutions" international ministerial conference, led by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

"On the sidelines of the event, the deputy foreign minister held a series of bilateral meetings, including with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and his Lebanese counterpart Abdallah Bou Habib, Chinese special envoy for the Middle East Zhai Jun, Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) Philippe Lazzarini, Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza Sigrid Kaag, and Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory Muhannad Hadi," the ministry said in a statement.

According to it, the forum was dedicated to discussing ways to ensure that injured and needy residents of Gaza receive safe and unhindered access to emergency aid. The main condition for this is an immediate and permanent ceasefire. "In addition, the meeting participants discussed resuming the peace process on the basis of the universally recognized international legal system, leading to the establishment of an independent and sovereign State of Palestine within its 1967 borders, including the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, with its capital in East Jerusalem," the ministry added.

It also emphasized that during his speech at the conference, Vershinin outlined Russia's principled positions on the settlement of the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict: an end to the bloodshed, unhindered humanitarian access, the inevitability of a long-term peaceful settlement on a two-state basis.

"He [also] noted the importance of protecting and ensuring the basic rights of Palestinians, including self-identification and return to their homes. The deputy foreign minister emphasized the support for the mandates of the relevant UN agencies, first and foremost UNRWA," the ministry said.