Russia, UAE have similar approaches to Middle East problems - Russian foreign minister

MOSCOW, May 28. /TASS/. Russia and the United Arab Emirates share the opinion that domestic problems of the Middle East states are to be solved through national dialogue, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday after talks with his UAE counterpart Abdallah bin Zayid Al Nuhayyan. "We have completed the talks where we discussed bilateral relations and problems facing the Middle East region," he said. "We share the opinion that these problems are to be solved through dialogue in these states between all political, ethnic and religious forces." He noted that the situation in Yemen, Syria, Libya and Iraq had been discussed in this light. The Russian foreign minister also stressed the necessity to pool efforts to rebuff terrorism in the Middle East. "We proceed from the fact that the actions of the so-called Islamic States are a real challenge to stability and security in the Middle East and North Africa in general," Lavrov said. "Russia and the United Arab Emirates will strengthen cooperation in the anti-terrorism sphere both in the bilateral and international formats." Read more