New Delhi:
Russia has proposed India as a possible mediator in the ongoing conflict involving Iran and the United States, citing New Delhi’s extensive diplomatic experience and global reputation. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who was in New Delhi for the BRICS foreign ministers’ meet, said India could play an important role in broader initiatives to ensure long-term stability in the Middle East.
“Pakistan is helping to establish a dialogue between the US and Iran to address urgent issues. For a long-term mediator between Iran and its Arab allies, India, with its vast diplomatic experience, could be suitable,” he said in a statement, coinciding with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the UAE.
The Russian diplomat’s visit to New Delhi coincides with heightened global anxiety over the Middle East tensions and the impending expiry of US sanctions waivers on Russian and Iranian oil.
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Lavrov said that India, as the current BRICS chair and a major energy consumer with direct interests in regional stability, could help bring key stakeholders together for dialogue. Referring to recent Iranian strikes on the Emirates, he suggested New Delhi could bring Tehran and Abu Dhabi to the table for talks and help “avoid hostilities”
“India, the BRICS president, is directly interested in receiving oil from this region. Why won’t they offer their services, including as a country that is currently presiding over BRICS, so they could invite Iran, the United Arab Emirates, to start with, to have a conversation with each other to agree on how they can avoid any hostilities between the two countries? ” he said.
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The Russian Foreign Minister alleged that the US and Israel were attempting to deepen hostility between Iran and Arab nations, while asserting that Moscow was pursuing efforts aimed at reducing tensions.
“And they are trying; other countries are trying to instil this aggression, to instil this hostility in these relations. And I believe that this hostility, this aggression against Iran, was motivated, among other things, to antagonise Iran and its Arab neighbours,” Lavrov said.
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“We need to understand the root causes of every conflict; here, it is unprovoked aggression by the US and Israel,” he added.
He added that Russia was working “with the opposite goal in mind”, stressing the need for diplomacy and regional engagement to avoid further escalation in the Middle East.
