After censuring Israel, Moscow sends senior officials to meet Netanyahu
Russian officials “reiterated Russia’s commitment to protecting Israel’s national security.”
By HERB KEINONRussia's special envoy on Syria Alexander Lavrentiev(photo credit: REUTERS)
Six days after the Russian Foreign Ministry censured Israel for attacks on Iranian targets in Syria, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in his office Tuesday with two senior Russian officials who meet periodically throughout the region with various stakeholders to discuss the situation in Syria.Following the meeting with special Syrian envoy Alexander Lavrentiev and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Vershinin, the Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement saying the discussion centered on Iran, the situation in Syria and reinforcing the deconfliction mechanism between the two states to prevent accidental friction between the armies of the two countries in Syria.The statement said the Russian officials “reiterated Russia’s committed to protecting Israel’s national security.”The two men were last in Israel in July, just before Netanyahu flew to Moscow for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.Lavrentiev and Vershinin held similar meetings earlier this month in Turkey, and also in the Persian Gulf. They met foreign ministry officials on Monday, and are expected to meet Defense Ministry officials on Wednesday. They are also scheduled to travel to Ramallah for talks with Palestinian Authority officials there as well.
