Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alimov called for a return to political and diplomatic means to resolve the conflict in the Middle East.
Speaking in an interview with China Media Group (CMG) on Tuesday, Alimov said Russia and China share a common position on the issue and have jointly condemned military actions in the region. He said that with joint efforts from Russia and China, the UN Security Council convened an emergency meeting on Saturday to address the latest developments in Iran.
"Given the current situation in the Middle East, we jointly advocate an immediate cessation of violence, oppose escalation, and call for a return to political and diplomatic means to resolve the conflict, eliminating its impact on international peace and security as well as on sustainable economic development," Alimov said.
Russian deputy FM calls for political, diplomatic means to resolve Middle East conflict
Two major Qatari energy facilities shut down operations after being damaged during Iran's strikes targeting the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said on Tuesday, adding that the situation had been contained.
QatarEnergy announced on Monday that it had suspended liquefied natural gas (LNG) production following attacks on two of its energy facilities, and on Tuesday said it was suspending production of downstream natural gas products such as urea and methanol.
The shutdown sent gas prices skyrocketing on global energy markets, provoking fears of an energy crisis sparked by the conflict in the Middle East.
Speaking during his weekly press conference, Al-Ansari said that the decision to shut down the facilities was taken as a precaution, to ensure the safety of personnel and infrastructure after the strike damaged key production and processing sites.
"The damage was contained and now the operations to assess, technically, the safety of the facilities is underway. And from the defensive posture, as you have seen, we have been ready in monitoring and dealing with all of these attacks," he said.
Al-Ansari said that Qatar is committed to de-escalating the situation, and added that Qatar had not had any contact with Iran since Feb 28.
"Qatar's diplomatic stance has always been firm and clear: committed to peace, actively promoting de-escalation, advocating dialogue and consultation, and striving to resolve the conflict peacefully," he said.
Major Qatari energy facilities damaged in Iranian strikes: foreign ministry
