Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergey Vershinin over the telephone discussed with the Director General for Political Affairs of the Belgian Foreign Ministry Axel Kenes a number of international topics and regional problems in the light of their consideration by the UN Security Council, including the Middle East settlement and the situation with the Open Skies Treaty, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported.
According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the telephone conversation took place on the initiative of the Belgian side.
“During the conversation, the parties discussed a number of pressing international topics and regional problems in the light of their consideration by the UN Security Council. Particular attention was paid to Vershinin and Kenes on issues related to the Middle East settlement, the Iranian nuclear program, the situation in Syria and the Open Skies Treaty”, – emphasized in the ministry.
In late May, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the date of the annexation of part of the territories of the West Bank as part of the “deal of the century”. According to Netanyahu, the spread of Israeli sovereignty in the Jewish settlements of the West Bank will occur on July 1, and there is no intention to change this date. Later, Minister of Water Resources and Higher Education Zeev Elkin said in an interview with the local press that the date of annexation could be postponed for several days or weeks.
Israeli authorities have begun to take concrete steps towards annexation. Deputy Prime Minister Beni Ganz instructed the Chief of General Staff to accelerate the preparation of the army in connection with the extension of Israeli sovereignty to parts of the West Bank.