Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan discussed the situation in the Strait of Hormuz during a telephone conversation, the press service of the Russian Foreign Ministry reported.
The parties agreed on the need to resume negotiations for a speedy resolution of the conflict, taking into account the interests of all countries in the region.
In addition, the foreign ministers discussed the deepening of cooperation between the two countries and particularly emphasized the importance of promoting humanitarian ties and people-to-people contacts in general.
The last telephone conversation between Lavrov and the UAE Foreign Minister took place on April 14. At the time, the parties also discussed the situation in the Persian Gulf and called for an immediate ceasefire.
On April 8, the United States and Iran announced a two-week ceasefire. After that period expired, on April 21, President Donald Trump announced an extension of the ceasefire.
A meeting of delegations to discuss the peace agreement had been scheduled for April 22, but according to Tasnim, Tehran refused to participate, calling the talks “a waste of time”. Later, Trump authorized a new round of talks to be held within the next 36-72 hours.
Russia's top diplomat said that the number of Moscow's allies had increased: in addition to the traditional army and navy, the Aerospace Forces and unmanned aerial vehicles were officially added.
“Now this includes the Aerospace Forces, we cannot ignore them. We also have new forces of unmanned aerial vehicles. So, our allies will increase“, he said in an interview with Leonid Mlechin on the program “Remember Everything“.
The expression “Russia has only two allies - the army and the navy” is an expression attributed to Emperor Alexander III, whose policy was characterized by conservatism and a course towards strengthening autocracy.
The diplomat emphasized that historical experience obliges Russia to rely primarily on itself. The country's strengths also lie in its resources, science and the ability to transform them into cutting-edge technologies, Lavrov believes.
„The Russian president has repeatedly said: „The weak defeat them“. „That's all, actually. We must be strong. Russia is a very strong country“, the minister said.
Lavrov also supported the president's thesis that global leadership in the future will be determined by control over artificial intelligence.