Russia: We will do everything for peace in the Middle East

Participating in the 15th Asian Conference organized by the Valdai Discussion Club in Malaysia, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko told Sputnik that the Middle East is one of the issues where the positions of Russia and Malaysia almost completely overlap, stating the following:

"Like our Malaysian friends, we are in favor of a peaceful resolution to the current crisis. Like our Malaysian friends, we support a two-state solution that envisions an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel. We will do everything in our power to achieve sustainable and lasting peace."

'WE DO NOT WANT TO SEE NATO EXPANDING TOWARD ASIA'

Stating that some Western countries are currently active in various operations in Asia and are attempting to undermine the principles of inclusive cooperation and openness in the region, Rudenko said, "Under the 'Open Pacific' model, the US and its allies are implementing a systematic containment strategy. The goal is to isolate certain countries they deem undesirable or objectionable by excluding them from regional cooperation. They are trying to eliminate not only the geographical but also the geopolitical identity of Asia," and added:

"Russia does not want further militarization of the region or the expansion of NATO into this region.

At the conference held by the Valdai Discussion Club in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, on December 9-10, topics such as the common future of Russia and ASEAN countries in a multipolar world, the orientation of Southeast Asia toward BRICS, and the common trend toward de-dollarization are being discussed."