Board of Peace Should Consider Root Causes of Palestinian-Israeli Conflict - Lavrov
09:52 GMT 09.02.2026 (Updated: 12:08 GMT 09.02.2026)
© Sputnik / Alexey Maishev
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MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday that he would like the Board of Peace to address the underlying causes of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
"I would really like this collective body, which was created on the initiative of [US] President Trump, to really consider the underlying causes of the [Palestinian-Israeli] conflict," Lavrov said at the 15th Middle East Conference on the sidelines of the Valdai International Discussion Club.
Lavrov also said that although the Board of Peace had been formed and subordinate structures established, its actual authority remained unclear.
"The Board of Peace has been established. Structures subordinate to the Board of Peace have been created, including an executive structure of Palestinian technocrats. But their actual powers are unknown," Lavrov said at the 15th Middle East Conference on the sidelines of the Valdai International Discussion Club.
In January, US President Donald Trump announced the formation of the Board of Peace and invited heads of about 50 states to join.
Russia still has no clarity on international stabilization forces in Gaza, Lavrov said.
"Outbreaks of violence persist, and there is no clarity at all about other components of this plan, including the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip, the disarmament of Hamas, the organization of humanitarian aid and the organization of executive leadership of this Palestinian enclave, in the context of involving the Palestinian National Authority in this process, and in the context of implementation of the UN decision on the creation of a unified Palestinian state," Lavrov explained.
The situation in the Middle East in not expected to not ease in the near future, Lavrov also said.
"Unfortunately, at this stage, I do not think that [the situation in] this region [the Middle East] will calm down soon, despite the huge number of initiatives that we all know about," Lavrov said at the Valdai International Discussion Club.
All of this has happened and continues to happen, and now there are Yemen, Sudan, and the echoes in the Middle East, of course, are being caused by what's happening around Somalia, against the backdrop of the main trend, the minister said. And the trend is to drive the Palestinian issue into a dead-end, hopeless impasse, he added.
Russia welcomes the mediation efforts of Oman in the negotiation process between Iran and the United States, Lavrov said.
Russia is closely following the situation around Iran, the minister said, adding that a diplomatic solution is necessary.
"We welcome the mediation efforts of the Sultanate of Oman. Yesterday, I had a detailed conversation with my friend ... [Omani Foreign Minister Badr] Al Busaidi. And, of course, we believe that there should be a peaceful settlement here," Lavrov said at the 15th Middle East Conference on the sidelines of the Valdai International Discussion Club.
The minister added that Russia is interested in the full normalization of relations between Iran and the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Lavrov also said that Russia, including together with Chinese colleagues, is in constant contact with its Iranian friends. The minister added that Russia is concerned about Iran's future.
