By Mustafa Caglayan
NEW YORK
International Middle East peace mediators known as "the Quartet" on Sunday urged Israel and the Palestinians to resume stalled negotiations toward a two-state solution.
Representatives of the group -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson -- met in the German city of Munich on Sunday, a joint statement issued from the U.N. said.
They "underlined the importance of the parties resuming negotiations as soon as possible," urging both parties to avoid moves that would undermine efforts to reach a solution to the conflict.
"A sustainable peace requires the Palestinians' aspirations for statehood and sovereignty and those of Israelis for security to be fulfilled through negotiations based on the two-state solution," read the statement.
The U.N.-proposed two-state model is envisaging the creation of an independent Palestinian state within pre-1967 borders living peacefully alongside Israel.
The latest round of direct peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators collapsed in April 2014.
