MOSCOW, November 20. /ITAR-TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin will receive Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in the Kremlin on Wednesday. Netanyahu is due to arrive in Moscow for a brief working visit, the presidential press service reported.
It is expected that during the meeting which "will be held in accordance with an arrangement made earlier", the sides will discuss matters of international politics of current importance and bilateral relations.
Talks between the Russian president and the Israeli leader are held on a regular basis. Early in November, on the initiative of the Israeli side, they had a telephone conversation, in which they also discussed acute issues that are on the international agenda. Before that, the leaders had conversed over the telephone in June this year, devoting special attention to the situation in Syria and around it.
The previous meeting between the Russian president and Israeli leader took place in Sochi in May this year. At the close of that meeting, Putin said the sides agreed to maintain contacts with a view to achieving a peaceful resolution of the Syrian crisis.
"We spoke a lot about regional security problems," Putin pointed out. "Particular concern is aroused by the situation in Syria, and we agreed with Mr. Prime Minister to carry on our contacts both personally and through the channels of special services".
The President emphasized that Netanyahu and he have a common understanding that "a continuation of the armed conflict in that country is fraught with most ruinous consequences both for Syria and the entire region".
"Only an earliest termination of the armed conflict and a transition to a political settlement can avert a negative scenario," the Russian Head of State said. He pointed out that at this crucial moment it is particularly important to avoid any action that can unhinge the situation.
The Israeli premier confirmed that the two leaders "had a detailed conversation about the state of affairs in the region". "Together we seek to find a way to enhancing stability and strengthening security. We have got a fine opportunity to talk straight with each other," he said at the close of the previous meeting.
As far as bilateral economic relations are concerned, Putin said that, despite their growing stronger, there still are certain problems. The president's opinion is that this refer "first of all to an insufficient amount of mutual investments which, undoubtedly, can be augmented by several orders of magnitude".