Russia blames the US for tensions in the Middle East
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova stated that the US has taken the Middle East region hostage, saying, "This has led to a terrible deterioration of the situation in the region once again."
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Maria Zakharova made statements regarding current issues at her weekly press conference held in the capital, Moscow.
When asked by an AA correspondent for her assessment regarding the US shooting down some missiles during Iran's attack on Israel, Zakharova stated that the US has adopted a philosophy of using regions and peoples for its own purposes, and noted the following:
"The Americans are not only using the situation in the region for their own benefit, but they have also taken countries and the region hostage in their internal and external politics. Unfortunately, this has led to a terrible deterioration of the situation in the region once again. Our assessments regarding the Americans' policy have not changed. We believe that the current situation is largely the result of a long-term policy aimed at creating divisive lines in the region with the goal of destroying the international legal foundation."
'CONSCIOUSLY POSTPONED'
Touching upon the situation in the Gaza Strip, Zakharova said, "The unprecedented crisis in the Gaza Strip emerged as a result of the US's attempts to unilaterally develop its own vision regarding the process of improving relations between Arab countries and Israel and the general situation in the region. Along with this, the resolution of the Palestinian issue was consciously postponed."
Zakharova used the expression, "Increasing foreign military presence in armed conflict zones, especially the strengthening of the American military presence in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Red Sea, poses a risk of increased tension in the future."
RUSSIA AWAITS RESPONSE FROM ARMENIA
Evaluating the claims that agreements have been made between Armenia, the US, and the European Union (EU) in the military and political spheres, Zakharova said, "We are waiting for a clear response from the Armenian authorities regarding this information, and ideally, for them to deny it."
Zakharova assessed that the West is "militarizing" the South Caucasus by turning it into an area of competition.
Regarding the claim that Turkey conducted negotiations for two months with Russia and Ukraine on an agreement concerning the safety of ships in the Black Sea, and that Ukraine abandoned the prepared agreement, Spokesperson Zakharova stated, "We are constantly consulting with our Turkish partners on issues related to the Black Sea. Of course, our dialogue continues in the context of the situation in Ukraine."