Palestinian-Israeli Peace Must Be Based on Arab Initiative – India, Russia, China

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj along with her Chinese and Russian counterparts Wang Yi and Sergey Lavrov held the 15th Russia-India-China trilateral meeting in New Delhi on Monday – ANI photo.

New Delhi, MINA – The foreign ministers of India, Russia and China stressed that peace efforts on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict must be based on the Arab Peace Initiative and relevant UN Resolutions.

During talks in New Delhi on Monday, the ministers discussed a host of issues of global concern, particularly emerging political developments in the Middle East and North Africa, KUNA reported, citing an Indian official statement.

The meeting, which grouped India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Chinese and Russian counterparts, Wang Yi and Sergei Lavrov respectively, also discussed the global economy, terrorism, organized crime, drug trafficking, natural disasters, food security and climate change.

The ministers stressed the importance of a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in order to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East.

On Syria, they reiterated that the only lasting solution to the crisis is through an “inclusive Syrian-led, Syrian-owned political process.”

India, Russia and China also praised the Iraqi government’s efforts to defeat the so called Islamic State and stressed the need to preserve the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq.

They also encouraged Libyan political forces to overcome their differences and seek “mutually-acceptable solutions” on their points of difference in pursuance of the Libyan Political Agreement.

The meeting reiterated the three countries’ willingness towards ensuring the implementation of the Iran nuclear agreement with world powers, and to therefore engage that country in normal economic and political cooperation.

The ministers expressed “deep concern” over the ongoing tension on the Korean Peninsula, due to the nuclear and ballistic missile programmes of North Korea.

In addition, the three ministers urged more international efforts aimed at defeating the drug threat in Afghanistan is needed, and stressed the importance of multilateral interaction on this goal.

On their own relations, they underlined the importance of the trilateral format as a platform to foster closer dialogue and practical cooperation.

“Our cooperation is not directed against any other country,” they said, adding this cooperation was aimed at “maintaining international and regional peace, stability and promoting global economic growth and prosperity.” (TRS5/RS1)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)