Extremism is an ‘inclusive’ topic, says Abdullah

30 May 2015

Moscow — Shaikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Foreign Minister, and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov discussed the importance of protecting regional stability and peace during their meeting in Moscow on Thursday night. The two sides also exchanged views on international developments as well as the positions of their countries on fighting terrorism, in all its forms, manifestations and organisations.

At a joint press conference with Lavrov after the meeting, Shaikh Abdullah stressed that the UAE is working on promoting cooperation with Russia for better ties.

Shaikh Abdullah said: “Extremism was a main topic in the talks with my counterpart, the Russian foreign minister. As such, it may be an ideological issue, but today we see its consequences on people, states and the future of the region. That is why it is important that the proposed cure for extremism should not be confined to the security aspect. Rather, it should also be inclusive of the ideological and political aspects as well as the diverse social and economic challenges facing peoples.

“So bringing to an end to the Israeli occupation of Arab territories captured in 1967 and creating a Palestinian state are essential not only from a legal perspective, but also in terms of countering the spread of extremism in the region.”

Shaikh Abdullah added: “We look at our relationship with Russia with a great deal of interest, respect and pride regarding the military, political, economic and cultural domains that my counterpart Lavrov mentioned here. We are very proud of promoting the relationship between the two countries and look forward to doubling our efforts, and the outcome too.”

On his part, the Russian foreign minister expressed his delight at meeting Shaikh Abdullah again and discussing bilateral cooperation. Lavrov said they had discussed the most important issues of the Middle East. He called for solutions to these issues based on enhanced all-inclusive national dialogue in the respective states between all political, ethnic and religious powers.

“We discussed the situations in Yemen, Syria, Libya and Iraq and we are confident that, along with the joint efforts being made to find solutions to all these conflicts, we also must intensify our joint efforts to counter the danger of terrorism and extremism in the Middle East,” Lavrov said.

“We also have a common position on pulling the Middle East peace process out of its current deadlock. A Palestinian state must be created to preserve the security of all the states of the region. For our part, we support the Arab efforts for peace.

‘‘We also exchanged views on our bilateral relations and are satisfied with their development in all spheres, including the dialogue on trade, investment and military and technical cooperation.”

Later, the Russian foreign minister hosted a dinner in honour of Shaikh Abdullah and his delegation. The meeting and the banquet were attended by Major-General Faris Al Mazrouei, Assistant Foreign Minister for Military and Security Affairs; Ahmed Al Jarman, Assistant Foreign Minister for Political Affairs; and Omar Saif Ghobash, Ambassador of the UAE to Russia.