MOSCOW: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has expressed his country’s willingness to mediate in the Gulf crisis.
In an interview with Russia’s Sputnik, Lavrov responded to a question about possible Russian mediation between the State of Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt, by saying: “We’re ready to offer our services as intermediaries in any conflict, as long as all parties involved request them; so far, we haven’t received such requests.”
Lavrov’s statement comes amid reports that the US has intensified efforts to find a solution to the Gulf crisis.
“We maintain good relations with all of the countries, including all members of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf. I know that the US administration is trying to help reconcile the antagonists and is seeking to convince Saudi Arabia and its closest allies to make peace with Qatar,” the Russian Foreign Minister added.
“We wish success to all efforts aimed at uniting countries, rather than those aimed at forming dividing lines. We’re ready to provide assistance if, I repeat, we get asked for it, and if all parties involved would be interested in it.”
Concerning the situation in the Gulf region, Lavrov said: “I’d say we’re the first of the states that have relations with the countries in the region, who offered to draft a plan for the long-term, stable and neighbourly development of that zone.”
Collective security
He explained that by this he meant the concept of collective security and cooperation in the Gulf, which Moscow proposed in the 1990s and was updated last year.
The Russian Foreign Minister confirmed that his country discussed this updated initiative in September 2019 at the level of experts and scholars with the Arab Gulf states and Iran, noting that this concept depends on the experience of cooperation between the Soviet Union and the West in Europe during the Cold War, despite the differences between the two parties, and that was within the framework of the Organization for Security and C-operation in Europe.