All news

Lavrov discusses closer bilateral cooperation with Israeli top diplomat

The conversation was initiated by the Israeli side

MOSCOW, October 22. /TASS/. Issues of further expansion of mutually beneficial cooperation between Russia and Israel in various spheres were the focus of telephone talks between the two countries foreign ministers, Sergey Lavrov of Russia and Yair Lapid of Israel, that were held on Friday following talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.

"In the context of the 30th anniversary of the restoration of full-fledged Russian-Israeli diplomatic relations that is marked these days and in furtherance of the Sochi talks between President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, the two top diplomats stressed mutual interest in the further expansion of diversified mutually beneficial cooperation between Russia and Israel. They noted the high dynamics of bilateral contacts at all levels," the Russian foreign ministry said.

The ministers exchanged views on a range of issues on the international and regional agenda, including the situation around the Iran nuclear deal. "The ministers reiterated the importance of further joint efforts to stop attempts at revising the results of World War II, to distort historic truth, including the tragedy of holocaust," the ministry said.

The conversation was initiated by the Israeli side.

The first talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israel’s new Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who took office on June 13, were held on Friday in Russia’s Black Sea resort city of Sochi. Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov described the talks that lasted about five and a half hours as "constructive and trust-based.".