Alon Ushpiz and Sergei Lavrov
Alon Ushpiz and Sergei LavrovIsraeli Embassy in Moscow

Foreign Ministry Director General Alon Ushpiz, who is visiting Moscow, delivered a letter from Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, which relates to the strong and important relationship between the two countries.

In a follow up to recent talks between the foreign ministers, Ashkenazi called in the letter to jointly mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of relations between the countries in a series of joint events in Israel and Russia. It was also agreed to convene soon the economic committee made up of representatives of the two countries.

Ushpiz's visit to Moscow included working meetings with Lavrov, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and Middle East envoy Mikhail Bogdanov, and with senior officials from Russia's Foreign Ministry and National Security Council. The meetings dealt with security issues, maintaining stability in the Middle East, as well as key issues in bilateral relations between the two countries.

Ushpiz stressed Israel's concern about the Iranian nuclear issue, saying that all roads leading to Iranian nuclear capabilities should be permanently blocked. He added that Israel would not allow Iran to jeopardize its security, not even from the territories of Syria or other countries.

He noted favorably the fruitful political dialogue between Israel and Russia and the excellent cooperation on economic, tourism, cultural and scientific issues. In addition, ways to deal with the coronavirus pandemic were discussed at the meetings.

The Director General of the Foreign Ministry said that "Russia is a key and important player, and the bilateral ties between Jerusalem and Moscow are important for the advancement of Israeli interests in the region."