Russian Envoy, Senior Hamas Official Discuss Upcoming Palestinian Elections

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th February, 2021) Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and Special Presidential Representative for the middle East and Africa Mikhail Bogdanov has received Hamas political bureau member Mousa Abu Marzouq to discuss upcoming elections in Palestine, the Russian Foreign Ministry has said.

In mid-January, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree on holding the first general election in 15 years. Legislative elections are slated for May 22 and will be followed by a presidential race two months later. The rival Hamas movement, which controls Gaza, has welcomed the announcement.

"The main attention was paid to the issues of restoring Palestinian national unity on the platform of the Palestine Liberation Organization, including in light of the Palestinian general election scheduled for May-August," the ministry said on Thursday.

The ministry noted that progress in Palestinian reconciliation should contribute to a just solution of the Palestinian problem in accordance with the existing international legal framework, resolutions of the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council, and the Arab Peace Initiative.

During the meeting, Bogdanov confirmed Moscow's readiness to host a meeting of representatives of Fatah, Hamas and other major Palestinian political forces in order to consolidate the emerging unifying trend, while acting in coordination with Cairo, which has recently hosted such talks.