Russian, Egyptian foreign ministers call for intensifying political, diplomatic efforts in Gulf region

MOSCOW. Aug 26 (Interfax) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty have had a phone call, during which they underscored the need to step up political and diplomatic efforts in order to ease tensions in the Persian Gulf region and reaffirmed their shared position on the need to resolve the Palestinian issue in accordance with UN resolutions, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on its website on Wednesday evening.

"The Russian and Egyptian foreign ministers discussed the current situation in the Middle East. They addressed issues related to the unprecedented escalation of the military and political situation in the Persian Gulf region as a result of the American-Israeli aggression against Iran. They emphasized the need to intensify joint political and diplomatic efforts aimed at defusing tensions and laying a reliable foundation for regional security," the statement said.

"A shared position on the need to resolve the Palestinian issue in accordance with UN decisions was reiterated," the ministry said.

Lavrov informed his Egyptian counterpart "about the latest developments in the context of the Ukraine crisis, including the sharply deteriorating situation in the Black Sea region caused by the Kiev regime's criminal actions to destroy civilian vessels and energy infrastructure," the statement said.

"The ministers extensively discussed current bilateral cooperation, underlining the importance of continuing close coordination to enhance trade and economic cooperation between Russia and Egypt," it said.

The parties exchanged views on ways to promote Russia's partnership with the African Union and the League of Arab States, the statement said.

The ministry said that the phone call had taken place at Egypt's initiative.