Israel’s Conflict with Arab States, Not Iran, Main Problem in Mideast: Moscow
“The problem in the region is not Iranian activities,” Anatoly Viktorov told Israeli newspaper The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday. “It’s a lack of understanding between countries and non-compliance with UN resolutions in the Israel-Arab and Israel-Palestinian conflict.”
He also referred to the tunnels under Lebanon’s border with the territories occupied by Israel, which Tel Aviv claims to have been dug by the Hezbollah resistance movement, saying there was “no proof Hezbollah created the tunnels.”
The Russian envoy further blamed the Israeli regime for fueling violence in the region through conducting airstrikes on Syria, Press TV reported.
“Israel is attacking Hezbollah, Hezbollah is not attacking Israel,” Viktorov said, adding that Tel Aviv should not attack “the territories of sovereign UN members.”
He also rejected the idea that Israel coordinates its attacks with Russia, saying any warning Tel Aviv gives Moscow is about the safety of Russian forces in Syria.
“There is no way that we are approving any Israeli strikes on Syria, never in the past and never in the future,” he stressed.
Israel frequently targets positions inside Syria, especially those of Hezbollah which has been helping the Syrian army in its fight against Takfiri militants.
The occupying regime mostly keeps quiet about the attacks on Syrian territories, which many view as knee-jerk reaction to Syrian government’s increasing success in confronting terrorism.
Commenting on Israel’s recent normalization deals with certain Arab countries, Viktorov said Russia supports the pacts, but that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict must still be addressed within the framework of the so-called two-state solution.
“We strongly believe that the Palestinian question should not be put aside,” he said. “The normalization should not replace a Palestinian-Israeli settlement, because this problem will remain and will continue to endanger not only the countries and peoples of the region but also many others around the globe.”
Moscow’s offer to host Israeli-Palestinian talks still stands, as well as a suggestion to hold an international conference on the matter, he noted.
“Israel should sit down and talk about how to take everybody’s legitimate concerns into account and not create alliances and blocs against somebody else,” Viktorov said in an apparent reference to the regime’s partnerships with Persian Gulf states against Iran.
Unilateral US withdrawal from JCPOA ‘unfortunate’
Elsewhere in his remarks, the Russian ambassador slammed the US for the unraveling of the 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
He emphasized that it was “unfortunate” that Washington exited the accord, something which led Iran to begin suspending its commitments.
“The first step was made by... our American colleagues who unfortunately decided to quit the JCPOA [in 2018],” Viktorov said. “They quit the plan and that allowed the Iranian side to undertake some steps which are not in full compliance with the plan, which is unfortunate as well.”
If the US returns to the deal, “it will make many things simpler,” he added. “It will be helpful to reduce concerns and allow the Iranians to develop a peaceful atomic energy program.”
Asked whether Russia would sell arms to Iran after the UN arms embargo was lifted earlier this year, he replied, “Iran is a sovereign state, why not? I am not familiar with specific plans; it’s a matter of negotiations.”
