TEL AVIV, October 22. /TASS/. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennet has described his first meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin as superb, saying the talks were meaningful and substantive.

"Not long ago, I finished my first superb meeting with Russian President Putin. The meeting was very long, lasting for more than five hours, and very substantive and meaningful," he wrote on his Facebook account.

"Russia is a very important player in the [Middle East] region. We should maintain a direct line of trust-based dialogue," he noted. "Relations between Israel and Russia rest on the rich past. We will always remember the decisive role Russia played in the victory over the Nazis during World War II. This historic memory cannot be erased, it should be passed over from one generation to another."

On Friday morning, the Israeli prime minister arrived on his first visit to Russia at the Russian president’s invitation. Bennet took office on June 13, succeeding Benjamin Netanyahu, who had been Israel’s prime minister since 2009. Putin and Netanyahu maintained permanent dialogue, held many meetings and telephone talks.