Russian PM, Israeli president to talk trade, investment cooperation

MOSCOW, March 17. /TASS/. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin are due to discuss on Thursday cooperation in trade and economic, investment and humanitarian areas, the Russian cabinet’s press service said. The Israeli president is paying a visit to Moscow at the invitation of Russian leader Vladimir Putin. The two presidents held a meeting in the Kremlin on Wednesday. The sides discussed the prospects of developing bilateral cooperation in various areas. Putin said that Russia and Israel "have a large number of issues to discuss linked with the development of trade and economic relations and issues of the region’s security." "I hope that we’ll be able to discuss them in the short run with the Israeli prime minister with whom we have agreed for a meeting," Putin said. The Russian president also said the relations with Israel are special and based "on friendship, mutual understanding and the long common history." Rivlin said Israel is grateful to Russia for its fight against terrorism and fundamentalism. "We also have to struggle against terror and fundamentalism," Rivlin said. "Jewish people thank Russians for defeating Nazism." Read more