Addressing the "Mediterranean Dialogue" on Friday, Lavrov stressed the need for a meeting of the P5+1 group (US, Britain, France, Russia, China plus Germany) and the Islamic Republic of Iran in order to advance the plan to establish a collective security system in the Persian Gulf region.
Referring to the proposal of Russian President Vladimir Putin about the meeting of the P5+1 group and Iran, he said that there are serious concerns about the situation in the Persian Gulf. Russian President Vladimir Putin recently proposed an online meeting of the heads of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council with the participation of Germany and Iran.
The proposal includes steps to prevent escalation of conflict and coordination of parameters in a joint effort to facilitate the establishment of a collective security system in the Persian Gulf, he added.
Russia developed this concept many years ago, said Lavrov, adding that last summer, Moscow renewed it and presented it to the international community for consideration.
Russia's concept of collective security in the Persian Gulf has been distributed as an official document approved by the United Nations.
"In the current conditions, energetic and effective action is needed at an international and regional level in the interests of improving and further stabilizing the situation in the Persian Gulf, overcoming the prolonged crisis stage and turning this sub-region to peace, good neighborly relations and sustainable development," the document said.
The document added that practical work on launching the process of creating a security system in the Persian Gulf may be started by holding bilateral and multilateral consultations between interested parties, including countries both within the region and outside of it, UN Security Council, LAS [League of Arab States], OIC [Organization of Islamic Cooperation], PGCC [Persian Gulf Cooperation Council].
In a letter to the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly, Russia said that it is "ready for cooperation with all interested parties to implement this and other constructive proposals."
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