Vladimir Putin with Xi Jinping
Russia announced on Thursday that it is coordinating its Middle East and North African policy with China, an increasingly close ally that President Vladimir Putin visited this week.
Russia claimed Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov met with China’s special envoy for the Middle East, Zhai Jun, in Doha, and discussed the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas party that rules the Gaza Strip.
“There was confirmation of the constant focus of Moscow and Beijing on the close coordination of efforts in the interests of a political settlement of this and other crises in the Middle East and North Africa region”, stated a statement issued by the foreign ministry.
Russia sees itself as a possible mediator between Israel and Hamas, which sparked the present war with a surprise attack on October 7 that killed 1,400 people. Israel has reacted with aerial bombardments that, according to Gaza authorities, have killed over 3,500 Palestinians and injured over 12,000 more.
Moscow has attempted to pin some of the responsibility for the situation on the United States, Ukraine’s most important ally, against whom Russia launched an all-out invasion last year.
On Monday, a UN Security Council resolution sponsored by Russia that called for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, the release of hostages, humanitarian access, and the safe evacuation of those in need failed to pass.
The document condemned all acts of terrorism and brutality against civilians but did not single out Hamas.
Also read: EU Chief On Gaza Tragedy: No Excuse For Hitting Hospital
