Russia's FM, UAE Counterpart Discuss Bilateral Ties, Regional Files

On Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that his country looking forward to enhancing bilateral ties at all levels with the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

These remarks came during a press conference between Lavrov and his UAE counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.

He added that Russia is seeking the UAE and Egypt for successful talks on the Libyan crisis, calling for the exit of all mercenaries from the country.

Libya has had no stable central authority since Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown by NATO-backed rebels in 2011. The country has been split since 2014 between rival administrations in its east and west.

“We must return to the causes of the crisis in Libya,” Lavrov said.

Meanwhile, UAE Foreign Minister  stated that Libya faced “great challenges.”

“Extremist groups dominate the Libyan political scene,” the minister said during the press conference held in Moscow.

The Emirati official went on to say that tackling extremism and hatred in the region was an urgent issue.

“We do not want the region to be crowded with weapons of mass destruction,” he said.

Touching on the newly signed deal with Tel Aviv, the Russian minister said that “peace agreements between Israel and Arab countries must be used to achieve peace.”

He called for the resumption of direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, stating that Russia supported a two-state solution.

On his part, Sheikh Abdullah said that the UAE is proud to have strategic relations with Russia, adding that Moscow and Abu Dhabi were cooperating on the trials for the Russian-made Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine.

“Amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, we have seen very clearly that these relations are truly special. And we are determined to further promote our relations going forward,” he added.

“We are also proud to see that our experts are working closely, our embassies are also in close contact. It’s good to see that the UAE is about to complete the third phase of the clinical trials of the Russian Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine,” the UAE foreign minister said.