Russia wants just settlement to Palestinian-Israeli issue, says Putin

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) – Russia wants a just settlement to the Palestine-Israel issue in line with UN resolutions, President Vladimir Putin said in a meeting with his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday.

Russia has “a principled stance based on the fundamental resolutions of the United Nations and it remains unchanged,” Putin told Abbas during talks in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana on the sidelines of a regional summit.

He said Moscow continues to closely monitor developments in the Middle East.

On bilateral cooperation with Palestine, he said “a lot” needs to be done to enhance economic ties.

Abbas hailed Russia’s position on the Palestinian-Israeli settlement.

“We believe and know that Russia has a clear position on the settlement, and I am absolutely sure that it will never change. We know perfectly well that Russia stands for justice, for international law,” he said.

Abbas stressed the need for a greater role of the Middle East Quartet, which comprises the UN, US, EU and Russia.

He said the group should take the lead on the Palestinian-Israeli settlement, instead of an individual country or organization.

“We do not want America, under any pretext, to be solely engaged in solving the Palestinian problem,” Abbas asserted.

“It can be a part of the quartet, play a role there, but we will never accept its monopolization of the settlement issue,” he added.

He also underlined the food crunch in Palestine and asked for Russia to expedite grain deliveries.