Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov hosted his Arab Gulf counterparts in Moscow at the sixth ministerial meeting of the Russia-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) strategic dialogue, where he welcomed the recent rapprochement between them and Iran.
"We welcome steps made on the normalization of Arab-Iranian relations. Saudi Arabia, as you know, renewed diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran not long ago. On the whole, this creates a more positive atmosphere in this region," Lavrov said after the meeting, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.
"We share our partners' attitude in the search for a compromise as well as their readiness to consider the interests of one another and all parties involved," he said.
Jassim Muhammad Al-Budaiwi, the GCC secretary general, said that the bonds between the GCC and Russia are strong and serve the interests of both sides. He agreed with Lavrov's assessment on outreach to Iran, even as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have recently engaged in a spat over a gas field.
