WITHOUT PALESTINIAN STATE, THERE WILL BE NO PEACE, STABILITY IN MIDDLE EAST – LAVROV

MOSCOW, Feb 19 (Bernama-Sputnik/RIA Novosti) -- Russia is convinced that without a Palestinian state, there will be no peace or stability in the Middle East, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

"It is our firm belief that there will be no stability or calm there without a Palestinian state," Lavrov told Al Arabia broadcaster, reported Sputnik/RIA Novosti.

He said that addressing the root causes of the conflict is an imperative to resolve the Arab-Israeli crisis.

Russia, he added, views Saudi Arabia as a strategic partner and feels the kingdom shares this view.

"Our country regards Saudi Arabia as its strategic partner in the region. We believe that this view is shared by our Saudi colleagues," Lavrov said, adding that both the countries are developing their relations through dialogue at the top level.

He also said that Russia values ​​its relations with Syria, based on the principles of mutual respect and benefit.

"Mutual respect and mutual benefit – these are the principles that have underpinned our relations with the Syrian Arab Republic from the very beginning, since its establishment. We hold these relations in high regard," Lavrov told the broadcaster.

He said Russia-Syria relations have a rich legacy since the times of the Soviet Union, when Moscow assisted Damascus in the construction of industrial facilities and the implementation of educational projects.

"We share a rich legacy from Soviet times, when numerous industrial facilities were constructed and educational initiatives were implemented. The Syrian people remember this. Whenever we visit or host Syrian counterparts in the Russian Federation, we observe that these sentiments are genuine – they emanate from the people. We reciprocate in every possible way," Lavrov said.

Syria's armed opposition captured Damascus on December 8, 2024. Bashar al-Assad stepped down as the country's president and left the country. In January 2025, Ahmed Sharaa, a former rebel commander, was declared transitional president.

On Europe, the Russian foreign minister stated that it has degenerated, but there are still "voices of reason" there willing to communicate with Russia.

"Europe has degenerated. Yet there remain voices of reason. Those who wish to engage with us – by all means. We have received in Moscow both Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. These are sensible, pragmatic leaders who prioritise their nations’ interests." 

He said that those fuelling anti-Russia hysteria are motivated not by their nations' welfare but by political ambition.

"The rest – those fuelling anti-Russia hysteria, those attempting to brand Hungary and Slovakia as accomplices of the 'Putin regime' – are motivated not by their peoples’ welfare but by political ambition.

“They seem nostalgic for the era when their forebears steered Europe towards Nazism, whether within Hitler’s apparatus or in countries where Adolf Hitler conscripted nearly all for the assault on the Soviet Union," Lavrov said.

--BERNAMA-SPUTNIK/RIA NOVOSTI