Last week's anti-Iran conference in Warsaw, Poland served as another illustration of US efforts to create new "dividing lines" in the Middle East, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
"The conference was not conceived and held for the sake of a serious discussion of the problems affecting the Middle East. It's main result was the creation of several working groups discussing a number of global challenges and threats," such as terrorism, non-proliferation, humanitarian issues and refugees, Zakharova said, addressing reporters on Monday.
"What is this if not an attempt to launch a 'parallel track' which will engage in the creation of unilateral decisions?" the spokeswoman asked.
The meeting seemed like an attempt by Washington to launch a long-term effort to influence the Middle East policy of other conference participants, directing them toward a position profitable to the US, she added.
"Regrettably, it must be said that the conference in Warsaw was yet another illustration of the course of the US administration to create new 'dividing lines' in a Middle East already saturated with conflicts and contradictions," Zakharova stressed.
Poland hosted the two-day summit on 13-14 February. US Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu participated in the conference, with officials from Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, the UAE and Yemen also attending.
Most European powers skipped the event or sent low-level representatives, while major regional actors including Iran itself, Russia and Turkey snubbed the summit and characterised it as a US attempt to build an anti-Iranian alliance in no way connected to the promotion of regional peace.
