MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The situation in the Middle East and North Africa has seriously deteriorated over the past years as extremism has escalated and state institutions in several countries have been weakened, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday.
“The agenda of your meeting is highly busy. This of course is due to the fact that many of the problems facing the Middle East and the North African region in recent years have seriously deteriorated. There is a weakening of state institutions in a number of countries, deepening of socio-economic difficulties, the escalation of extremism and religious intolerance,” Putin told Arab League leaders.
Russia is ready to increase cooperation on regional security and anti-terrorism with members of the Arab League, Putin said.
"I would like to confirm that Russia is ready to strengthen cooperation with the Arab League on regional security, first and foremost to combat the threat of international terrorism. We believe that the fight against this evil should be combined with joint efforts for political settlement of the crises in Syria, Iraq, Libya, Yemen and other hotspots, based on respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, through inclusive dialogue and national consensus,"
