Russian diplomats have proposed five steps towards normalization in the Middle East

The participants of the Russian-Arab Strategic Analysis and Interaction Group "Hakimov Club" proposed five key areas of work to reduce tensions in the Middle East. Andrey Baklanov, Deputy Chairman of the Association of Russian Diplomats and professor at the Higher School of Economics, told Izvestia about the peace initiative on March 5.

"There are five main areas of work that are currently needed to end the bloodshed at the political and diplomatic level. The first point is an immediate cease—fire and the abandonment of military methods to solve the problems of the Middle East and especially what we are currently seeing in the Persian Gulf region," he said.

In addition, any attacks on civilian targets, such as the attack on a girls' school in Iran, which led to the mass deaths of children, should be ruled out.

The second stage may be the beginning of practical work on the formation of a collective security system in the Persian Gulf zone. It will help strengthen mutual trust between the States of the region, as well as prevent the risks of potential surprise attacks by one country on another. It is also important to develop conditions and methods for resolving incidents if a conflict situation does occur.

"The third issue, which is particularly important, is the creation of a mechanism for objective and prompt monitoring of the situation and investigation of such crisis situations and incidents. I especially want to emphasize its importance," the source said.

As a fourth point, it is proposed to intensify efforts to create a zone free of weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East. The fifth stage may be to stimulate the development of multilateral cooperation in the humanitarian and economic spheres in the region. Earlier, attempts had already been made at the diplomatic level to establish such contacts, but the desired effect could not be achieved.

"In January 2011, a working group on economic cooperation was established. Unfortunately, then it somehow broke up. By the way, the first international meeting was held by the Acting President of the Russian Federation [Vladimir] Putin: in 2000, there was just a meeting about the restoration of this kind of work by groups in the Middle East," Baklanov recalled.

For more information, see the program "Izvestia. The main thing" on the Fifth Channel on March 7.

Religious motives: The United States pushes Sunnis and Shiites to confrontation

How did the situation around Iran go beyond just military escalation

Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu said on March 5 that Russia is in constant contact with Iran and the Gulf states, and is ready to play an active role in the peace process. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on the same day that Iran had not asked Russia for help in connection with the military actions. He noted that there are currently no changes on this issue.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.