MOSCOW, September 17. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday he is proud that Russia’s relations with Israel have reached their highest level ever.

"We in Russia pay great attention to the development of multifaceted and mutually beneficial relations with the State of Israel. And we strive to build them in a partnership, and in a constructive spirit," Putin said at a congress of the Israeli charity foundation, Keren Hayesod.

"Without any exaggeration whatsoever, I can proudly say that never before has there been such a level of relations between Russia and Israel, with the exception, of course, of the very first months and the first couple of years following the establishment of the State of Israel," Putin emphasized.

"Russian-Israeli ties stand out due to their meaningful political dialogue," the Russian leader said, adding he had been having regular meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The most recent one took place last week in Russia’s seaside resort city of Sochi. "We often exchange views, have consultations over the phone, discuss current events, sometimes the most pressing issues on the global and regional agenda, and bilateral cooperation," he noted.

 

Putin will travel to Israel in January 2020 and will take part in a ceremony to unveil a memorial to the victims of the Siege of Leningrad. 

"[Israeli] President Reuven Rivlin invited me to visit Israel in January next year to participate in the events marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp and the Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. I will take advantage of this offer, as I recently said at a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. I hope that during the course of the visit, the Israeli leadership and I will unveil a memorial dedicated to the victims of the Siege of Leningrad built at the initiative of Israeli veterans," Putin told the Israeli Keren Hayesod convention.