Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged Israel's right to self-defence in the face of Hamas' attacks of “unprecedented brutality,” and stressed the creation of an “independent Palestine state with East Jerusalem” as its capital.
As reported by ANI citing TASS, “Russia proceeds from the postulate, a negotiated solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has no alternatives,” said Putin while speaking at the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) summit here on Friday.
“The negotiations' goal should be the implementation of the United Nations' two-state formula, which implies the creation of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, coexisting in peace and security with Israel, which, of course, as we have seen, has come under an attack of unprecedented brutality. Of course, it has the right to defend itself. It has the right to ensure its peaceful existence,” Putin said at the summit.
He added that it is crucial to work to resolve this issue by peaceful means.
"The way I see it, in a situation like this and in this particular place, there is simply no alternative [to two independent states]," he concluded, according to TASS.
As reported by Al Jazeera, following the issuance of an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes, Putin's visit to Kyrgyzstan became his inaugural foreign trip. The two-day trip included his participation in a CIS summit, a regional organisation comprised of former Soviet republics. Putin's international presence came amid discussions about Russia's diminishing influence in the region.
Although he has seldom ventured outside of Russia since sending troops to Ukraine in early 2022, Putin is anticipated to make a journey to China for the upcoming third Belt and Road Forum in Beijing next week.
It's important to mention that neither Kyrgyzstan nor China are signatories of the ICC and thus are not bound by its jurisdiction.
In a meeting with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, Putin restated Russia's position as a primary trading partner and the leading investor in Kyrgyzstan, underscoring their dedication to advancing their collaboration.
Putin commended the substantial increase in trade between Russia and Kyrgyzstan, though certain Western experts speculate that this upsurge could be linked to Russian companies circumventing sanctions.
"I would like to thank the president for the invitation. We have good reasons [to be here], but even without reason, this visit is long overdue," Putin said.
Last week, the central bank of Kyrgyzstan urged local banks to enhance controls to comply with Western sanctions against Moscow, Al Jazeera reported.
In July, the United States imposed sanctions on four Kyrgyz companies for re-exporting electronic components and technology to Russia, as per the report.
Putin is anticipated to participate in events commemorating the 20th anniversary of the establishment of Russia's airbase near Kant, Kyrgyzstan. This airbase serves as a means for Moscow to extend its influence in the region.
In March, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for both Putin and Russia's human rights commissioner, Maria Lvova-Belova, on charges related to the alleged deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia. Russia, which does not acknowledge the authority of the ICC, dismissed the warrant as "unlawful."
In earlier situations where diplomatic representation was needed, Russia had dispatched Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov instead of Putin to the BRICS summit in August, as reported by Al Jazeera.
