Russia urges Middle East quartet, others to avoid actions that might destabilize region

The Kremlin on Tuesday urged countries, especially those in the Middle East quartet of mediators, to avoid action that might destabilize the region, after dozens of Palestinian protesters were killed on the Gaza border on Monday. Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Moscow was very concerned about the deaths of dozens of Palestinians, saying that the Kremlin was closely monitoring the situation. The Quartet of Middle East peace negotiators, which comprises the US, Russia, the EU, and the UN, has been assigned to promote peace efforts. However, it has failed to secure any results since 2002.