MOSCOW, December 28. /TASS/. Israeli Ambassador to Russia Alexander Ben Zvi is wrapping up his tenure, the Israeli Embassy said.

His replacement Simona Halperin will arrive in Moscow in the next few days, it said.

"Israeli Ambassador to Russia Alexander Ben Zvi and his wife Edna Ben Zvi are ending their diplomatic careers and retiring after 40 years of service in the Foreign Ministry. The new ambassador, Simona Halperin, will start work in Moscow in the coming days," the embassy said.

Ben Zvi, who has served three years in Russia, said that Russian-Israeli relations are developing in a normal manner, and any arising disagreements are resolved through diplomacy, according to the embassy.

"The ambassador also expressed hope for the continued strengthening of relations between the countries and wished success to the future head of the diplomatic mission Simona Halperin," the embassy said.

Halperin was born in Riga in 1969 and then lived in Leningrad before moving to Israel in 1976. She has been in the service of the Israeli Foreign Ministry since 1993.