Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said his country is ready to discuss and consider Turkey’s initiative to establish a guarantor system in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with Moscow and Ankara staying in contact on the issue, Russian news agency TASS reported.
Lavrov’s remarks came at a news conference during a visit to the North Korean capital of Pyongyang on Thursday.
“We are ready to discuss any constructive proposals. The said initiative … is clearly driven by the intention to de-escalate things and bring the situation back to normal,” Lavrov said.
He said the Turkish initiative is rooted in the desire to ensure a balance of interests rather than imposing one party’s interests at the expense of another’s.
“We are ready to work together to consider this [initiative],” Lavrov added.
Earlier, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced Ankara’s plans to address the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) with a proposal to join forces to resolve the conflict between Palestine and Israel based on a guarantor system.
Tensions flared again in the Middle East on Oct. 7 when Hamas militants staged a surprise incursion into Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip, killing at least 1,400 people including civilians and soldiers.
In response, Israel announced a total blockade of the Gaza Strip and began launching airstrikes on the enclave and certain parts of Lebanon and Syria. The ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza have left at least 3,700 civilians dead.
