MOSCOW, March 25. /TASS/. The signing of a proclamation recognizing Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights by US President Donald Trump does not change Russia’s official stance on the issue, Russian Presidential Envoy for the Middle East and Africa and Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov told TASS on Monday.
"Nothing has changed, either before or after. Our principled stance and assessments have been provided on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s website," he stressed.
The Russian Foreign Ministry earlier said that the Golan Heights were Syria’s territory, and Washington’s statement on recognizing the Golan Heights as part of Israel showed the United States’ disregard for international law and UN Security Council resolutions.
Trump signed the proclamation earlier on Monday during talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Along with Syria and other countries of the Arab and Muslim world, Russia and some key European countries, including Germany and France, spoke out against such unilateral steps.
The Golan Heights, which had belonged to Syria since 1944, were seized by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War. In 1981, the Israeli parliament passed a law unilaterally declaring sovereignty over the Golan Heights. The UN Security Council declared the annexation null and void in its Resolution 497 on December 17, 1981.
