Foreign Minister participates in joint Gulf ministerial meeting with Russian Foreign Minister

Riyadh, June 1 (BNA): Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani, participated in the joint ministerial meeting of Their Highnesses and Excellencies the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Sergey Lavrov. The Gulf side was chaired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the brotherly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and President of the current session of the Ministerial Council, His Highness Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud. The meeting was held at the headquarters of the Secretariat General in Riyadh, in the presence of the GCC Secretary General, Dr. Nayef Falah Al-Hajraf. During the meeting, the two sides reviewed the relations of cooperation within the framework of the strategic dialogue between the GCC countries and the Russian Federation under the memorandum of understanding signed between the two sides in November 2011. They also discussed regional and international issues of common interest. They spotighted the developments of the situation in Ukraine and its repercussions on security and stability in Europe, the world and the global economy, and the efforts being made to resume negotiations between the Russian and Ukrainian sides to reach a ceasefire and settle the conflict through diplomatic means. The Ministerial Council affirmed that the GCC position on the Russian-Ukrainian crisis is based on the principles of international law and the Charter of the United Nations, and the preservation of the international system based on respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of states, non-interference in their internal affairs, and no-use of force or the threat of force. It also expressed its support for the mediation efforts for a ceasefire and a political solution to the crisis, giving priority to the language of dialogue and settling the conflict through negotiations. It also expressed support for the efforts aimed at facilitating the export of food from Ukraine to contribute to providing food security for the affected countries. The delegation of the Kingdom of Bahrain that took part in the meeting included the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Political Affairs, Dr. Shaikh Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Shaikh Ali bin Abdulrahman bin Ali Al Khalifa, and the Chief of GCC Affairs, Abdulaziz Mohammed Al-Eid.