Russia, China prevent new round of escalation in Middle East at UN — ambassador

MOSCOW, May 13. /TASS/. Thanks to their cooperation at the UN, Russia and China were able to prevent a new round of tension in the Middle East, Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui said in an interview with TASS. "On April 7, the UN Security Council held a vote on a draft resolution concerning the security of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. Due to the document's extreme imbalance, the representatives of China and Russia vetoed it, which helped prevent an escalation of tensions in the region and created favorable conditions for achieving a temporary ceasefire and launching a negotiation process," he noted. According to the diplomat, China and Russia's positions during the vote were based on the principles of objectivity and fairness. "This is a responsible choice made in the interests of peace and the well-being of the peoples of the region. It is in line with the right course of history and will stand the test of time," Zhang Hanhui emphasized. He also recalled that since the situation in the Middle East escalated, China and Russia have maintained close contact and coordination on regional developments. "Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Russian counterpart Minister Sergey Lavrov have repeatedly discussed the US-Iran conflict and other issues of mutual interest on the international and regional agenda," the ambassador added.