MOSCOW, January 29. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has invited Israel’s visiting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss bilateral relations and the situation in the Middle East.

At the beginning of the meeting underway in the Jewish Museum and Center of Tolerance Putin thanked Netanyahu for visiting Moscow. He said it was symbolic the visit was taking place at a moment when the whole world was remembering the victims of the Holocaust.

"As you may know, in our country there were many victims, practically in every family. Many of the Jews exterminated by the Nazis were Soviet citizens, who had made a tremendous contribution to the victory over Nazism," Putin said.

"As usual, we will take this opportunity to discuss our bilateral relations and the situation in the region," Putin said.