Russia supports Egyptian efforts to revive Mideast peace process

CAIRO – 21 September 2017: At the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 72), Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that his country supports Egypt’s efforts in riving the Middle East peace process between the Israeli and the Palestinian peoples.

Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi called on the Israelis and Palestinians to trust their leaderships and take the peace between Egypt and Israel as an example to follow. He also urged the Palestinians in his Tuesday speech at the UNGA 72 to unite.

He emphasized that ending the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is at the core of achieving security in the region. Sisi addressed Palestinians about the importance of believing in statehood alongside an Israeli state.

Egypt brokered a Palestinian national reconciliation government this week, which will take over the authority in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the latter which had been controlled by Hamas sine 2007. Cairo hopes the new Palestinian government will engage in peace negotiations with Israel, as Sisi has already tackled the issue with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

On Monday, President Sisi held talks with the Palestinian president and Netanyahu to discuss boasting the peace talks.