Decision on Jerusalem must come through Palestine-Israel talks, says top Russian diplomat

MOSCOW, January 17. /TASS/. The decision on Jerusalem must be found at direct Palestinian-Israeli negotiations, and Russia is ready to assist in this dialogue, the Russian Foreign Ministry quoted Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as saying as he met with ambassadors of Arab states and a representative of the League of Arab States in Moscow on Wednesday. "Most attention during the discussion was focused on the issue of the Palestinian-Israeli settlement," the ministry said. "Sergey Lavrov emphasized, that solutions on all issues of the final status of the Palestinian territories, including the fate of Jerusalem, must be found in the course of direct Palestinian-Israeli negotiations within the well-known international legal framework, notably relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council and the General Assembly, as well as the Arab peace initiative," the Foreign Ministry said. It said the Russian side "is ready to continue assisting in the establishment of a consistent political dialogue between the Palestinians and the Israeli in a bilateral format, as well as on different international platforms, including the Middle East Quartet of international mediators," the ministry added. Read more