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Putin expresses condolences over death of Shimon Peres

MOSCOW, September 28. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent a telegram conveying his condolences over the death of Shimon Peres, the former Israeli president, prime minister and one of the founders of the modern state of Israel, the Kremlin press service said on Wednesday.

In expressing condolences to Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and to all the Israeli people, Putin noted that Peres "won sincere respect among compatriots and abroad" by his longstanding endeavors as Israel’s statesman.

Putin highly praised Peres’ personal contribution towards achieving a peaceful settlement in the Middle East which was duly appreciated by the international community and this was confirmed by awarding him the Nobel peace prize, the statement said.

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"I was happy to communicate with this outstanding person many times. Each time I admired his courage and patriotism, wisdom and far-sightedness, the ability to get to the bottom of the most difficult issues," Putin stressed.

In Russia, Peres will be always remembered as "a consistent supporter of developing friendly Russian-Israeli relations who had done a lot for enhancing mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation," the president said.

The Russian president conveyed words of sympathy and support for the relatives and friends of Peres, the government and all citizens of Israel.

The former Israeli leader died early on Wednesday at the age of 93 in a hospital near Tel Aviv. He was hospitalized after suffering a stroke on September 13.

Peres, the patriarch of Israel’s politics, served as the country’s president between 2007 and 2014. He held the post of prime minister three times as well as numerous cabinet positions during his 70 years of government service.

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