Russian President Vladimir Putin told the Egyptian newspaper Al Ahram on the eve of his visit to Cairo about the attitude of the Russian authorities to the situation in the Middle East and the world.
Speaking about the conflict between Israel and Palestine, the Russian leader said that the current situation in the Middle East "cannot but worry us. That is why we remain in regular contact with senior officials in Palestine and Israel." "We urge both parties to make concessions to each other and to search for common ground in order to normalize the situation," he said.
The Russian Federation, he said, will "further pursue this policy, both through bilateral channels and on various international platforms, first of all within the framework of the Middle East Quartet of international mediators, the activities of which should be intensified." He also believes it is important "to ensure close coordination of the Quartet's efforts with Egypt and other Arab countries".
"After a nine-month round of Israel-Palestine negotiations held under the auspices of the USA ended unsuccessfully in April 2014, relations between the parties have noticeably worsened," Vladimir Putin reminded. "In summer, a bloody conflict between Israel and the Gaza strip broke out. In autumn, the unrest began in Jerusalem, caused, inter alia, by religious conflicts. Israel has simultaneously boosted settlement activities," the President listed.
According to him, "taken as a whole, this led to the aggravation of the situation in the whole of the Middle East and is fraught with a further escalation of tension."
"The Palestinians seem to have lost their faith in the possibility of reaching a compromise with the Israeli government in that situation. So they submitted to the UN Security Council a draft resolution on the parameters of a peace settlement," Putin said. He noted that "Russia voted in favour of this document, together with some other members of the UN Security Council. However, it has not received the required majority of votes."
Turning to the subject of Syria, Vladimir Putin said that to resolve the Syrian crisis is necessary to establish a dialogue between the authorities and the opposition. "First of all, launching an inter-Syrian dialogue without any preconditions and foreign interference on the basis of the principles outlined in the Geneva Communiqué of June 30, 2012," the Russian leader said.
He reminded that "Cairo is hosting meetings of the Syrian opposition aimed at creating a common platform which could be used at the negotiations with the Syrian government," but "a consultative meeting of the representatives of various Syrian opposition groups, civil society and the delegation of official Damascus recently took place in Moscow."
"Russian efforts and the activities of the Egyptian partners complement each other and are aimed at overcoming the standstill in the political settlement of the Syrian crisis. And they also should help to launch a dialogue between the Syrian government and its political opponents so that they could find mutually beneficial compromises and solutions themselves, without any foreign pressure," Putin believes.
Recently, the situation in the energy market can hardly be called stable, so the Russian president stressed that it is necessary to combine the efforts of responsible actors of the global oil market to create conditions for its steady long-term development.Commenting on the possible consequences of an almost halving of oil prices over the past six months, he stressed that "a predictable and stable energy market serves the interests of all countries."The major risk posed by dropping oil prices, according to Putin, is that the oil and gas industry becomes less attractive for investors. Because of this, companies are forced to have to abandon developing technologically complex oilfields and infrastructure development projects, and, as a result, oil supply on the market will gradually but inevitably shrink. "It means that at some moment there may be a powerful price correction in the opposite direction that will mean a real economic shock. Such disturbances do not benefit anyone – neither oil producers, nor consuming countries nor the global economy as a whole," he said.As Vladimir Putin noted, the budgets of many countries were drafted on the basis of oil prices that were higher than the current ones. In addition, the region is facing new challenges and an appropriate response to them will require additional resources, he added. "This is why in the Middle East there is a growing understanding that the oil market should be stabilized and demand be balanced with supply," he said.The Russian leader did not bypass the theme of the struggle against the terrorist organization Islamic State. "Regrettably, we must note that the actions being undertaken today by the members of the anti-terror coalition, their strategy and tactics are disproportionate to the scale and nature of the existing threat. Airstrikes alone are not enough to deal with it," he said.Putin also stressed that "such actions lack legitimacy, since they were not directly sanctioned by the UN Security Council and in certain cases are taken without the consent of states whose territories are being targeted by strikes." "Unlike Iraq, where the fight against terrorism is conducted in cooperation with the officials in Baghdad, in Syria the coalition refuses to work together with the legitimate authorities," the Russian leader said.According to him, "the challenge posed to the international community by the Islamic State terrorist group is unprecedented". "In essence, the terrorists are trying to gain control over a huge part of Iraq and Syria with a population of nearly 10 million. And they already threaten countries which are far from the Middle East region. We have witnessed this in France, Australia and Canada," Putin said.In his view, "today’s developments in Syria and Iraq stem, among other things, from heavy-handed and irresponsible interference from the outside into the affairs of the region and unilateral use of force, ‘double standards’, and differentiating between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ terrorists. "Russia advocates the consolidation of efforts taken by the international community to fight terrorism on the basis of international law and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states," the president said. He assured that Moscow is interested in developing relevant cooperation with friendly Egypt, both at bilateral and international levels." "The more so since both our countries have been repeatedly attacked by terrorists," Putin said.
Recently, the situation in the energy market can hardly be called stable, so the Russian president stressed that it is necessary to combine the efforts of responsible actors of the global oil market to create conditions for its steady long-term development.
Commenting on the possible consequences of an almost halving of oil prices over the past six months, he stressed that "a predictable and stable energy market serves the interests of all countries."
The major risk posed by dropping oil prices, according to Putin, is that the oil and gas industry becomes less attractive for investors. Because of this, companies are forced to have to abandon developing technologically complex oilfields and infrastructure development projects, and, as a result, oil supply on the market will gradually but inevitably shrink. "It means that at some moment there may be a powerful price correction in the opposite direction that will mean a real economic shock. Such disturbances do not benefit anyone – neither oil producers, nor consuming countries nor the global economy as a whole," he said.
As Vladimir Putin noted, the budgets of many countries were drafted on the basis of oil prices that were higher than the current ones. In addition, the region is facing new challenges and an appropriate response to them will require additional resources, he added. "This is why in the Middle East there is a growing understanding that the oil market should be stabilized and demand be balanced with supply," he said.
The Russian leader did not bypass the theme of the struggle against the terrorist organization Islamic State. "Regrettably, we must note that the actions being undertaken today by the members of the anti-terror coalition, their strategy and tactics are disproportionate to the scale and nature of the existing threat. Airstrikes alone are not enough to deal with it," he said.
Putin also stressed that "such actions lack legitimacy, since they were not directly sanctioned by the UN Security Council and in certain cases are taken without the consent of states whose territories are being targeted by strikes." "Unlike Iraq, where the fight against terrorism is conducted in cooperation with the officials in Baghdad, in Syria the coalition refuses to work together with the legitimate authorities," the Russian leader said.
According to him, "the challenge posed to the international community by the Islamic State terrorist group is unprecedented". "In essence, the terrorists are trying to gain control over a huge part of Iraq and Syria with a population of nearly 10 million. And they already threaten countries which are far from the Middle East region. We have witnessed this in France, Australia and Canada," Putin said.
In his view, "today’s developments in Syria and Iraq stem, among other things, from heavy-handed and irresponsible interference from the outside into the affairs of the region and unilateral use of force, ‘double standards’, and differentiating between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ terrorists. "Russia advocates the consolidation of efforts taken by the international community to fight terrorism on the basis of international law and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states," the president said. He assured that Moscow is interested in developing relevant cooperation with friendly Egypt, both at bilateral and international levels." "The more so since both our countries have been repeatedly attacked by terrorists," Putin said.
