Russian Deputy FM Bogdanov discusses intra-Palestinian relations with Hamas delegation for over 4 hours
MOSCOW. July 16 (Interfax) - Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and Special Presidential Representative for the Middle East and Africa Mikhail Bogdanov said he met with a Hamas delegation in Moscow on Tuesday.
"A meeting has taken place, and a lot of issues have been discussed," Bogdanov told journalists.
Russia planned chiefly to discuss the situation in the intra-Palestinian relations "so they can restore unity in political and geographical terms as soon as possible, so that Gaza and the West Bank aren't pulled apart, and so that they can find common ground in their political approaches," he said.
"This work will be continued; I mean political and practical aspects of the restoration of national political unity. Prospects of a Palestinian-Israeli settlement depend on this," Bogdanov said.
There is no alternative to a negotiation-based means for resolving problems and a two-state solution, he said.
"We discussed all these matters, and the meeting lasted for more than four hours," Bogdanov said.