Gaza contact group arrives in Moscow as part of its diplomatic tour
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The Gaza contact group, which comprises numerous Arab and Islamic countries, arrives in Moscow in an effort to establish a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
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Gaza contact group diplomats pose with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi prior to their meeting in Beijing, on Monday 20, November 2023. (AP)
The Gaza contact group, a group consisting of senior diplomats from Turkey, Nigeria, Indonesia, Jordan, Egypt, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, in addition to the secretary general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), has arrived in Moscow as part of its diplomatic tour, in an attempt to hold discussions concerning the implementation of an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, as reported by the Turkish Foreign Ministry.
Permanent members of the UN Security Council, in particular, will be visited by the group, the Turkish Foreign Ministry added. The tour was led yesterday, on November 20, by a visit to Beijing, China, during which the group met with the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Today, they attended talks in Moscow.
This is to be followed by visits to both London and Paris on Wednesday, to meet with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron respectively.
Mission to restore peace
The contact group was formed during the joint summit of the OIC and the Arab League in Riyadh, back on November 11, to implement an immediate ceasefire and provide Gaza with humanitarian relief aid. The group also seeks to advocate for an internationally acclaimed two-state solution that simultaneously warrants the security, stability, and prosperity of Palestinians within their country.
During the meeting, Arab ministers called for an immediate ceasefire and to end the Israeli aggression on Gaza, while Foreign Minister Wang Yi stressed the need for action by the international community to end the "humanitarian disaster" unfolding in Gaza, as well as "restore peace in the Middle East".
Read more: Arab and Muslim delegation urges ceasefire in Gaza from Beijing
![In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had "engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)](https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2024/12/21/b4a69f2e-8682-43e4-9d37-49482b304ab3/3.png?v=2&format=webp "In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had \"engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)")
