TUNIS, May 5. /TASS/. The Palestinian National Authority expects that President Mahmoud Abbas’ upcoming visit to Russia will help strengthen bilateral relations and ensure Moscow’s continued support for Palestine, Abbas’ adviser Mahmoud al-Habbash told TASS.

"We expect that the visit will contribute to strengthening bilateral relations and ensuring Russia’s continued support for Palestine at various forums and in various fields," he pointed out.

Al-Habbash noted that "Russia has provided a considerable amount of humanitarian aid [to Palestine]," including 30,000 metric tons of wheat, "which is being sent to Palestine as a Russian grant." "Abbas has decided to give it to the Gaza Strip in order to mitigate the impact of Israel’s aggression and siege," the Palestinian presidential advisor added.

"Russia also shares the Palestinian leadership’s priorities in terms of countering the challenges of the Israeli occupation. They include the need to end the aggression, ensure the supply of basic necessities to the Gaza Strip, prevent the resettlement of Palestinians and reach a political solution based on international law," al-Habbash emphasized.

Earlier, Palestinian Ambassador to Russia Abdel Hafiz Nofal told the Izvestia daily that Abbas, who would arrive in Russia on May 8, expected to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on May 10. According to al-Habbash, the Palestinian leader "will congratulate Putin on Victory Day.".