MOSCOW: First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah
chairs the 4th joint ministerial meeting for strategic dialogue between the GCC and Russia. — KUNA

MOSCOW: Foreign ministers of Russia and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states have reiterated support to the UN-sponsored and Kuwait-hosted Yemeni peace talks and urged Yemeni negotiators to take difficult decisions to pave the way for a peaceful settlement to the current crisis.

"The Ministers welcomed the cessation of hostilities in Yemen, pledged to support it, and urged all Yemeni parties to abide by it, expressing their continued strong support for the UN envoy, Ismail Ould Sheikh Ahmed," reads the joint statement issued following the Fourth Round of the Ministerial Strategic Dialogue between the Russian Federation and the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC), held in Moscow Thursday.

"They also emphasized the importance of progress in talks convening in Kuwait and urged all parties to make the difficult decisions necessary to achieve a durable and inclusive political settlement of the conflict, according to the terms of UN Security Council Resolution 2216 (2015), the GCC Initiative and its implementation mechanism and Yemen's National Dialogue outcomes."

They affirmed their full commitment to safeguard the unity and territorial integrity of Yemen, to reject interference in its internal affairs, to stand by the Yemeni people and their aspirations for freedom, democracy and social justice.

Ould Cheikh Ahmed had stated during a press conference in Kuwait Thursday that will carry on with its efforts to push the Yemeni stakeholders involved in Kuwait consultations toward a peaceful solution to the crisis at home. He urged the Yemeni warring parties to assume their responsibility toward the Yemeni people.

In addition, he called them to offer concessions for the sake of the Yemeni people, hoping that with the advent of the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, fresh steps will be taken to end their sufferings and to release detainees, besides consolidating ceasefire. Meanwhile, Kuwait's Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Al-Jarallah expressed his optimism that Yemeni parties would reach a comprehensive agreement to end the country's conflict, saying that the peace negotiations are 'on the right track.'

Terrorism

The GCC and Russian ministers condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, reaffirming that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable regardless of their motivations, and rejected associating terrorism with any religion, culture or ethnic group.

The ministers emphasized the need for concerted regional and international efforts to combat terrorism and to address factors conductive to its spread, eliminate the sources and any kind of support for terrorism and violent extremism including its funding, as well as combating organized cross-border crime.

They welcomed the establishment of the Islamic Military Alliance to Fight Terrorism and supported cooperation between the Russian Federation and the US-led International Coalition against the so-called Islamic State group.

Iran

On Iran, they noted that full implementation of Iran's nuclear deal with the world major powers and full compliance with all provisions of the UNSC resolutions will contribute to building confidence in the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program.

They emphasized the importance that relations between GCC member states and the Islamic Republic of Iran be based on the principles of good neighborhood, non-interference in internal affairs and respect of independency, sovereignty, territorial integrity.

They expressed support for a peaceful solution between Iran and the UAE over the three islands Greater and Lesser Tunbs and Abu Musa, in accordance with international law and the Charter of the United Nations, including direct negotiations between the two parties.

The ministers reiterated the importance of establishment of a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction.  They also stressed the right of all nations to the peaceful use of nuclear energy. They underlined the need to address all environmental concerns of regional countries, including in the field of nuclear safety. The Russian Federation noted the GCC's deep concern over the continued launching of ballistic missiles in the Gulf region.

Syria

On Syria, the minister reaffirmed the need to preserve the unity, sovereignty, territorial integrity and stability of Syria, and the importance of reaching a political solution to the crisis that preserves the lives of Syrians and leads to cessation of hostilities.

On Iraq, the ministers reiterated their commitment towards maintaining the unity, stability, territorial integrity and political independence of Iraq, free of external interference. They expressed solidarity with the Iraqi people in countering the so-called Islamic State group, calling for intensifying efforts to restore stability to the areas liberated from the group to allow delivery of assistance to the refugees and internally displaced persons in Iraq.

On Libya, they reaffirmed their commitment to the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Libya in accordance with the principles of non-interference in internal affairs. They expressed their deep concern over the increasing activities of terrorist groups in the country and voiced support for the ongoing political process and the relevant efforts of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Libya Martin Kobler.

Palestine

On the Arab-Israeli conflict, the ministers stressed the need for an immediate resumption of Palestinian-Israeli negotiations aimed at establishing an independent, viable and territorially continuous Palestinian State enjoying full sovereignty on the basis of the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Furthermore, the ministers stressed the need to activate dialogue among civilizations, cultures and religions to help restore and deepen concepts of peace, security and justice, promoting the values of tolerance and mutual respect. They reaffirmed their support for the role in this regard of the King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue.

The Russia-GCC ministerial meeting was co-chaired by Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation (for the Russian side) Sergei Lavrov and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Adel Al-Jubeir, current GCC Presidency, (for the GCC side). The meeting also attended by Foreign Ministers of the GCC States, including Kuwait's First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, and GCC Secretary General Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani. - KUNA