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21:38 GMT
DOHA, Aug 4 (KUNA) -- Qatari Foreign Minister Dr. Khaled bin Mohammad Al-Attiyah said Monday night his country and Russia are of the view that a viable solution to the Syrian crisis must be political and acceptable to the people.
"The state of Qatar works with the friends in Russia and other friendly countries for creating horizons for ending the ordeal of the Syrian people," Dr. Al-Attiyah said at a joint press conference with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov following their talks here.
He added that the consultations with Lavrov reviewed the situations in the Middle East region and ways to solve the crises in Syria, Iraq and Yemen through political means.
On the Qatari-Russian ties he said they are "historical and exemplary," citing the Russian support to fair Arab issues, notably the Palestinian cause.
He noted that his talks with Lavrov dealt also with the situation in occupied Palestinian territories as well as the ways to speed up the peace process based on the two-state solution.
"We have also discussed the bilateral ties and the cooperation with Russia in various aspects," Dr. Al Attiyah added.
On his part, Lavrov said the exacerbation of the situations in the Middle East serves the interests of no party except for the terrorist organizations such as ISIL and Al-Nusrah.
The talks with Dr. Al-Attiyah reviewed the situations in Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Palestine as well as the recent nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1, he said.
Russia and Qatar agreed that there is need to exert more efforts to boost the security of the (Arabian) Gulf region, Lavrov said, noting that this issue was discussed with other friends in the region.
During his stay here, the Russian foreign minister joined a tripartite meeting with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubair and US Secretary of State John Kerry.
The meeting focused on how to back the effort of the joint United Nations-Arab League Envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura in a way that could end the crisis in Syria parallel with the combat against terrorism, Lavrov revealed.
Regarding the airstrikes of US-led coalition against ISIL in Syria, he said Russia is opposed to any US attacks in Syria without agreement from the Syria government because this runs counter to the international legitimacy.
And besides, the air attacks on terrorists are ineffective without the contributions of the ground troops from the Syrian army, he argued, noting that he told Kerry of the Russian opposition to the US plan to train Syrian fighters.
He noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested forming a united front against terrorism involving all regional and international key players in this regard.
Russia offers technical support to the Syrian and Iraqi forces in the fight against ISIL because terrorism is the main threat facing the region, he said, affirming that but for these assistances the terrorist organization would control more areas in the two countries.
The Russian minister also met with Chairman of the Politburo of the Palestinian Hamas Movement Khaled Mashaal and former chairman of the opposition Syrian National Coalition Ahmad Moath Al-Khatib.
He said his talks with Al-Khatib reflect that Russia backs up dialogue with the Syrian opposition and works with all representatives of the Syrian people without discrimination between the government and the opposition.
On his talks with Dr. Al-Attiyah he said they signaled the shared willingness of the two countries to promote cooperation in such fields as security, economy and energy.
He welcomed the Qatari investments in Russia, highlighting the importance of the partnership in the gas industry and experience sharing in the preparations for the FIFA World Cups in Russia in 2018 and in Qatar in 2022. (pickup previous)
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