China, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, will continue to fulfill its duties and play its due role for peace and stability in the Middle East, said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday.

Wang made the remarks at a high-level UN Security Council meeting on Syria.

The Chinese minister said the turbulence in West Asia and North Africa has been lingering on for five years. That has made regional countries and people suffer, and caused grave spillover impacts to international peace and security.

He said relevant parties should stick to a political solution and must pursue talks to narrow differences, accommodate interests of various parties and seek lasting and sustainable solutions.

"We must address both symptoms and root causes, improve people's livelihood, foster a culture of tolerance, and build harmony," he said.

Stressing that the international community should uphold multilateralism when addressing the Syrian and other related issues, Wang said the UN and the Security Council must play their parts as the main channels, while others should act in a just and fair fashion.

To resolve the Syrian issue, Wang said the Security Council resolutions must be fully implemented, especially resolution 2254.

"We believe that we need to progress in parallel in terms of cease-fire, political negotiations, humanitarian assistance and joint efforts against terrorism," said Wang. "We hope that this year could become a turnaround for the situation in Syria."

"China is a sincere friend for all parties in the Middle East," he noted. "We have no self-interest in the Middle East; the interests of people in the Middle East are our interests."

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