The European Union and Russia urged Israel and the Palestinians "to engage in direct and substantial negotiations without preconditions" in 2013 in order to achieve a lasting solution to their conflict, after summit talks in Brussels on Friday attended by EU leaders and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In a joint statement issued after the talks by EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, they said the EU and Russia "are deeply dismayed by and strongly oppose Israeli plans to expand settlements in the West Bank and in particular plans to develop the El area."
The E1 area is a zone located between Jerusalem and Maale Adumim, the largest Israeli settlement in the West Bank.
"These plans if implemented, would jeopardize the possibility of a contiguous and viable Palestinian state. The European Union and the Russian Federation reiterate that settlements are illegal under international law and constitute an obstacle to peace," the statement said.
The EU and Russia also said they "will not recognize any changes to the pre-1967 borders, including with regard to Jerusalem, other than those agreed by the parties".
"Fully recognizing" Israel’s "legitimate" security needs in the wake of the recent Gaza conflict, the EU and Russia called for the "immediate, sustained and unconditional opening of crossings for the flow of goods and persons to and from the Gaza Strip," stressing that the situation is "unsustainable as long as it remains politically and economically separated from the West Bank."
"The European Union and the Russian Federation call for intra- Palestinian reconciliation behind President Mahmoud Abbas, in line with the principles set out in his speech of 4 May 2011, as an important element for the unity of a future Palestinian state and a two-state solution," the joint statement concluded.
Regarding Syria, which was one another main foreign policy topic discussed at the Brussels summit, the EU reiterated its call for a peaceful political solution in full support of UN emissary Lakhdar Brahimi, as EU Council President put it at a joint press conference with Putin.
The Russian president said his country "isn’t trying to defend the Syrian regime and wants to see a democratically elected government there."
But he sressed that a transition can only be achieved through talks. "A lasting peace agreement must ensure the protection of various religious and ethnic groups," he said.
Russia has stuck with long-time ally President Bashar al-Assad, frustating Western powers calling for change.
But on Thursday, the Russian leader suggested Moscow might now be slightly more flexible while at the same time remaining wary of the repercussions change could have on the wider Middle East.