Moscow is in favor of overcoming the existing differences between the U.S. and Iran exclusively through dialogue, the Russian concept of collective security in the Persian Gulf, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in an interview with the Stampa newspaper.
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“If you mean another round of U.S.-Iranian escalation that began this year, then our position is known. We condemn any actions that run counter to the principles of the UN Charter and lead to increased tension in the region. The Pentagon’s attack on Baghdad airport on January 3, which killed Iran’s Special Forces Commander Suleimani, was a blatant violation of international law”, – the Minister said.
He reminded that it was a civilian airport.
“So I will repeat what I said recently during my visit to Sri Lanka: these actions of the Americans are beyond the bounds”, – he added.
“Russia is in favor of overcoming existing differences only through dialogue, at the negotiating table. The Russian concept of collective security in the Persian Gulf region, which was presented last summer, is oriented towards this. Thus, unlike the confrontational schemes promoted by a number of states, we offer the region a constructive, unifying agenda and call for the formation of mechanisms for a joint response to challenges and threats”, – Lavrov said.
Moscow is convinced that “consistent implementation of this initiative would be an important step towards the recovery of the situation in the entire Middle East, would allow to lay the foundation for an architecture of mutual trust there”.