OREANDA-NEWS. July 06, 2011. A meeting of the Russian-Palestinian Working Committee on the Middle East was held in Moscow on July 5 under the chairmanship of Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov and Fatah Central Committee member Nabil Shaath.

The two sides exchanged views on the current state of affairs in the Palestinian track of the Middle East peace process, including in the context of the forthcoming ministerial meeting of the Quartet on July 11. Shaath briefed on the contacts being conducted by the Palestinian side in light of a possible request for UN recognition of an independent Palestinian state. He stressed however that the PNA leadership remains committed to continuing the search for a mutually acceptable option for the resumption of negotiations with Israel and he accentuated the Palestinians’ strong commitment to a long-term political settlement and the renunciation of violence.

The Palestinian representative also spoke about the work being done to ensure inter-Palestinian unity. In this regard, he stressed that Ramallah will continue to adhere to all the agreements that were concluded between the Palestinians in Cairo in early May.

Bogdanov emphasized Russia’s firm support for the Palestinian people’s right to create their independent, sovereign, geographically contiguous and viable state, whose future borders would be based on the 1967 lines with agreed territorial swaps, coexisting in peace and security with Israel. The Russian Federation, he said, will continue to actively promote a negotiated solution to the Palestinian problem on the well-known international legal basis.

Shaath highly appreciated the principled position of Russia in support of the Palestinian people, primarily their right to realize their legitimate national aspirations.

The meeting also touched on the processes of profound transformation occurring in the Middle East and North Africa, including with regard to their possible influence on the further advancement of the Middle East peace process.

A broad spectrum of topical issues in Russian-Palestinian relations was also discussed in detail. In this context, both sides expressed interest in building up multifaceted bilateral cooperation in various fields. It was agreed that meetings of the Russian-Palestinian Working Committee on the Middle East will be held regularly, at least once per quarter, alternately in Moscow and Ramallah.