MOSCOW. March 28 (Interfax) - Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and Special Presidential Representative for the Middle East and Africa Mikhail Bogdanov has taken part in an annual high-level BRICS consultative meeting on the Middle East and North Africa, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
"During substantive discussions, the participants considered relevant aspects of the regional agenda with an emphasis placed on the developments in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Sudan, and Libya, as well as the Gulf area," the ministry said in a statement on Friday.
The parties underscored the need for a soonest possible ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and general stabilization of the situation in the region, the ministry said. "The participants in the consultations expressed a common opinion that the problems facing the countries and peoples of the Middle East and North Africa must be addressed in line with international law norms and UN Charter provisions, based on principles of non-interference in internal affairs of countries and respect for their sovereignty and territorial integrity," it said.
"The BRICS countries reiterated their determination to continue cooperation and maintain active political dialogue in the interests of facilitating consensus-based political-diplomatic solutions to crises experienced by the region of the Middle East and North Africa," it said.
The consultations took place in Brasilia, and its participants adopted a joint statement based on their outcomes, the ministry said.