Russia says ready to assist in settlement of Mideast conflicts

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Moscow is ready to assist in the settlement of conflicts in the Middle East and has contacts with all parties concerned, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.

Commenting at a press briefing in Moscow on media reports claiming Israel asked Russia to serve as a mediator in contacts with Hezbollah, Peskov cited President Vladimir Putin who earlier said Moscow "maintains contacts with all relevant parties."

"And, of course, if our efforts can be effective somewhere, than Russia will be ready to make them," he added.

Israel, which has killed 43,000 Palestinians in Gaza since a cross border attack by Hamas last October, expanded the conflict in Lebanon in late September.

Turning to the Nov. 5 US presidential election, Peskov said statements by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump about the destruction of the Nord Stream 2, as well as about necessity "to divide Russia and China" were "incomprehensible."​​​​​​​

In an earlier interview with journalist Tucker Carlson, Trump had denied Democrats' claims that he has ties with Russia, recalling that he blocked the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.

"The main feature of our cooperation with China is that it is not directed against third countries, it is aimed solely at the interests of the peoples of our two countries," he said.

The spokesman then backed the Russian Autonomous Non-profit Organization Dialog lawsuit against the US Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), noting there was no much hope for unbiased attitude on the part of US courts.

"Rights must be defended by all legal means. ... But it can be assumed with a high degree of confidence that in such cases, American courts will immediately start to lose their impartiality, balance and fairness. They will forget about these principles. Therefore, there are no great hopes for the possibility of a truly unbiased consideration of such cases in American courts," he said.

Turning to the presidential election in Moldova, the official rejected accusations of Russia's interference in Moldova's presidential election: "We strongly reject any accusations that we somehow interfere in this, we are not doing this."

On Oct. 20, Moldovans headed to the polls to vote at a presidential election, in which incumbent President Maia Sandu, seen as pro-Western, sought a second term in office. Sandu received less than 50% of the vote, paving the way for a runoff on Nov. 3.