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Russia’s Lavrov Backs Kuwait’s Mediation, Says No ‘New Ideas’ on Qatar Crisis | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani meets with Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov in Doha, Qatar (Reuters)


Dubai- Russia reiterated on Thursday its support for Kuwaiti mediation efforts concerning the Qatar crisis but said it had not made any specific proposals “different” from the proposals currently being put forward, particularly initiatives presented by Kuwait and the United States.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said during his visit to Doha that the strength of the Gulf Cooperation Council is necessary to deal with the many regional problems.

The Russian Foreign Minister, speaking at a joint presser with Doha’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, stressed the need to find solutions to the Gulf crisis on the basis of reaching consensus and positions acceptable to all and rejecting the offensive and useless speeches.

He emphasized Russia’s support for the Kuwaiti mediation and its readiness to contribute to any effort in this regard. “Russia is keen on preserving the unity and strength of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) to be able to find solutions to other problems in the region that are already aggravated,” he said.

Lavrov stressed that Russia is not raising any new ideas different from the Kuwaiti mediation and the US efforts in this regard. Russia will continue its contact with all parties in the framework of coordination, he said noting that he will visit Saudi Arabia and Jordan early next month.

The Russian Foreign Minister said his talks in Doha touched on pressing regional issues, including Syria, Libya and Iraq. The Qatari and Russian sides have a common position on all these issues, which calls for resolving these crises on the basis of dialogue only.

On the Iranian and Syrian cooperation, he explained that any bilateral cooperation that does not violate the principles of the international law should not be a subject of question.

Lavrov said Russia is concerned about the impasse in the Palestinian-Israeli settlement, and stressed the need to find solutions through direct dialogue and on the basis of the Arab peace initiative.