Lavrov says it’s necessary to devise economic rehabilitation plan for Middle East

MOSCOW, February 25. /TASS/. The world community should begin to develop a strategy for the socio-economic rehabilitation of the Middle East and North Africa, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in his welcoming address to the participants in the Valdai discussion club conference. The text has been posed on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s website. "It’s clear that the sustainable stabilization of the situation is impossible without eliminating the hotbed of terror threat, above all, the IS group (Islamic State, outlawed in Russia - TASS) that seized control of vast areas in Syria and Iraq," the minister said. "(Russian) President Vladimir Putin’s initiative to form a broad anti-terror front on the basis of international law and under UN auspices is aimed at meeting this challenge. Of course, this work will not be successful, if attempts to use terrorists as pawns in geopolitical games are not terminated." "At the same time, the world community should redouble its efforts to resolve multiple crises, to get down to developing a comprehensive strategy of the political stabilization and socio-economic rehabilitation of the Middle East and North Africa," Russia’s top diplomat said. "Our country is actively involved in solving these major problems," he went on to say. "With Russia’s active participation, an agreement has been reached on Iran’s nuclear program, the ‘Vienna process’ to promote the political settlement in Syria has been launched. The Russian Aerospace Forces in coordination with the official Damascus continue the operation to liberate Syrian territory from gunmen of IS and other terrorist groups." "We will continue to promote sustainable conflict resolution in the region relying on international law through an inclusive national dialogue," Lavrov said. Read more