Still Being Studied, Russia Did Not Attend the First Meeting of the Board of Peace

JAKARTA - Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia does not plan to take part in the first meeting of the Peace Council (BoP) on February 19, because the topic of the council is still being studied by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"No one from the Kremlin (plans to participate)," he said in an interview with RTVI, TASS reported (12/2).

"The topic of the Council is still being studied by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Russia)," he added.

Quoted from CNN, the US President Donald Trump's government plans to hold the first BoP meeting in Washington D.C. on February 19.

Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, speaking during a government session in the State Duma, noted that Moscow is currently formulating its position on the Peace Council and is considering "how many countries in the West and East, including permanent members of the UN Security Council, are reacting to this idea."

It is known that representatives from 19 countries signed the Peace Council charter on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on January 22, as part of efforts to reach a settlement in the Gaza Strip.

Washington then claimed additional countries had joined the body.

The Peace Council was formed in accordance with an agreement between Israel and the Palestinian radical movement Hamas to manage Gaza, but is also expected to work to prevent and resolve conflicts in other regions. The first meeting of the Council is scheduled for February 19 this year in Washington.