Elena Teslova
20 March 2026•Update: 20 March 2026
MOSCOW
Moscow, together with China, Türkiye, and other like-minded partners, is ready to facilitate a political and diplomatic resolution of the Middle East conflict, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
Moscow is deeply concerned about the ongoing armed conflict in the Persian Gulf region, as well as the risks of the situation escalating, the ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
"The scale of damage being inflicted on energy and other vital infrastructure in Iran and neighboring Arab states is growing. We call for the swiftest possible cessation of hostilities, which have resulted from the unprovoked aggression of the United States and Israel against Iran," it said.
The ministry emphasized that the first step on this path should be the immediate renunciation by the US and Israel of their military campaign.
"Russia, together with China, Türkiye, and like-minded partners, is ready to facilitate the resolution of the conflict and the search for solutions to existing disagreements through political and diplomatic means, with the aim of achieving long-term sustainable stabilization in the region while taking into account the interests of all states located there," it said.
The ministry highlighted an article by the Omani Foreign Minister, Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Al Busaidi, published in The Economist on March 18, 2026, describing it as "thoughtful and wise."
"The proposals contained in the article are in many ways consonant with our own views on the need to create a security system in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf zone that respects a balance of interests among all states in the region," it said.
Moscow shares the Omani minister's points regarding the need to launch a region-wide negotiation process to reach agreements on confidence-building and transparency measures in the field of nuclear energy, as well as on mutual security guarantees, it said.
The Russian diplomatic service also reminded about its initiative aimed at coordinating a concept of collective security in the Gulf zone, aiming at establishing lasting peace and cooperative relations among all littoral states.
"We remain ready to continue providing constructive assistance in resolving the conflict and addressing existing contradictions in the Middle East through political and diplomatic means, including by creating conditions for joint work to achieve a sustainable settlement based on a balance of the legitimate interests of all countries in the region," it said.
