Interests of all religions must be ensured in Jerusalem - Russian Foreign Ministry
MOSCOW. April 2 (Interfax) - Palestine and Israel should guarantee free access of followers of different religions to the holy places in their settlement of the Jerusalem problem, the Russian Foreign Ministry information and press department said in a commentary on Tuesday.
"The media reported that President of the State of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas and King Abdullah II of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan signed an agreement in Amman on March 31 to confirm the role of the King of Jordan as the keeper of Islamic and Christian holy places in Jerusalem. Russia traditionally attributes special significance to preservation of the holy places in Jerusalem and peace and tranquility on the Holy Land. We value relevant Palestinian and Jordanian efforts," the commentary said.
The Jerusalem problem has been recognized as one of the most complex in the Arab-Israeli conflict due to its close connection to other crucial questions of the Middle East peace process - borders, settlements and refugees, the Russian Foreign Ministry noted.
"It should be resolved at Palestinian-Israeli negotiations with understanding that guaranteed free and unhampered access of followers of various religions to the holy places is an invariable task of all the concerned parties. It is of paramount importance to preserve the unique historical and cultural image of the city, which is of key significance to world religions and entire humanity," the ministry stressed.
Russia will continue its active assistance in the just settlement of the Jerusalem problems in various formats, the ministry said.