MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russia urges UN rights bodies, including the Human Rights Council (HRC), to address the issues of political settlement of the crises in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is due to meet with the heads of international organizations and their divisions on the sidelines of the 31st HRC session in Geneva on March 1.
"We call on the international community and the UN human rights bodies, including the HRC, to address with seriousness the issues of political crises in the MENA region, as well as to join forces in the fight against the terrorist threat to protect Christians," the statement reads.
According to the ministry, rights bodies have to observe and address violations of rights of national minorities and religious communities, as well as serious problems in inter-ethnic and inter-religious relations in a number of countries.
The Russian Foreign Ministry also urged to focus on the fight against a number of challenges, namely racism, xenophobia, the spread of the ideology of Nazism and racial superiority, the persecution of dissent, and media pluralism reduction.
