Lavrov says Russia supports Egyptian, Algerian efforts to achieve Palestinian unity: Sputnik

CAIRO – 31 December 2023: Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow supports efforts exerted by Arab countries, especially Egypt and Algeria, to achieve Palestinian unity.

In an interview with Sputnik published on Sunday, Lavrov called for the Palestinian movements to launch negotiations among themselves with the aim of uniting around the political program of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

He added that Russia is ready to play a role in supporting Palestinians find solutions to this issue through a Russian platform for meetings.

Lavrov affirmed that Moscow continues its communications with the Palestinian movements to highlight the danger of division and its impact on the possibilities of establishing a Palestinian state.

The Palestinian movements are experiencing extreme necessity for unity in the face of the Israeli genocide currently taking place in Gaza. For a long time, Israel has claimed that it could not discuss peace with a unified Palestinian authority.

Egypt has hosted rounds of talks among the Palestinian factions for the past years in a bid to achieve unity.

Also, 14 Palestinian factions, including Fatah and Hamas signed the Algeria Declaration of National Reconciliation in Algiers in October 2022. The declaration seeks to pave the way for holding elections to form a national unity government.