"Normalization between Israel and the Arab states does not mean a resolution to the Palestinian issue must become a second priority," Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in a meeting with his United Arab Emirates counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan.
"We are united in our opinion with the United Arab Emirates on the Palestinian issue. The normalization of Israel's ties with Arab states is gaining steam. Overall, this is of course a positive phenomenon because it eliminates longstanding disputes and establishes channels of cultural and legal communication," Lavrov said.
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The Russian ambassador, however, emphasized that Russia has always claimed that the Palestinian process cannot be pushed back "to a second priority and forgotten." He reiterated that the Palestinian issue must be solved on the basis of existing UN resolutions that should include the establishment of an independent Palestinian state to be established alongside, and in peace and security with, the State of Israel.
According to Lavrov, the UAE foreign minister confirmed this had also been his country's position during talks to normalize ties with Israel. The Russian ambassador emphasized that the international community needed to help to kick start direct talks between the Palestinians and Israel.
To that end, Russia has repeatedly proposed renewing the work of the Quarter – comprised of representatives from Russia, the US, the UN, and the EU. Lavrov added that Moscow saw a need to share the Quartet's efforts with Arab League representatives. The Russian foreign minister said he had recently spoken with his UAE counterpart about establishing a quartet of Arab nations that would include Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and the UAE.
"I believe that we can and should combine the efforts of the international quartet with the Arab quartet to be established in order to agree to the conditions for renewing direct negotiations between the Palestinians and Israel," he said.
Lavrov said, "Our ultimate goal is the achievement of full normalization in the Middle East, the establishment of a Palestinian state, and the establishment of ties between Israel and all of the countries in the region."
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