The meddling in the domestic affairs of the Middle East and North African countries has resulted in the current outburst of terrorism, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a meeting with Patriarch John X of Antioch and All the East.
"I want to congratulate you on the award of the Prize Foundation for the Unity of Orthodox Christian Nations. The award is traditionally awarded to prominent political, social and religious figures, including the Middle East region, which make a special contribution to the promotion of inter-religious peace and harmony," Lavrov addressed the patriarch.
"Your region and your motherland are going through very hard times now. The flagrant interference in the domestic affairs of the countries of the region and the indifference to the fates of its peoples has led to the provoking of extremism and terrorism in the region that the whole world has to tackle now. This is the most important task," TASS cited Lavrov.
Moscow tries to contribute to making true collective efforts on overcoming the conflicts in Syria, Yemen, Iraq and other countries of the region in a peaceful way, Lavrov said. The Russian foreign minister also said Russia is especially concerned about the situation in Libya.
For his part, Patriarch of Antioch John X pointed to the important role played by Russia to push towards a peaceful, political solution to the crisis in Syria through dialogue.
