OREANDA-NEWS. July 01, 2010. On June 28-29, in Jerusalem, as part of a Middle East tour, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov was received by President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, held talks with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Avigdor Lieberman, and met with Kadima party leader Tzipi Livni.

The parties discussed ways of further development of Russian-Israeli relations while noting with satisfaction their progressive development in accordance with the agreements reached during the recent contacts at summit and ministerial level.

They noted the importance of continuing to work together against attempts at falsifying history, especially those belittling the decisive contribution of the Red Army to the victory over fascism and denying the Holocaust. They confirmed their mutual interest in building partnerships in trade, economic, financial and investment fields, based on the machinery of the specialized intergovernmental commission and direct contacts between the business communities, referring in particular to the task of implementing high tech and science intensive projects, which the Agreement on cooperation in the field of industrial research and development, signed in March this year, is designed to encourage.

The parties thoroughly examined topical issues on the international and regional agenda, primarily focusing on developments in the Middle East peace process.

In an exchange of views on Israeli-Palestinian proximity talks, the Russian minister emphasized the importance for the parties in carrying out contacts in this format to pay appropriate attention to prospects for establishing a direct dialogue in line with the recommendations set forth in the final statement of the Moscow meeting of the Middle East Quartet of international mediators on March 19, 2010.

Lavrov confirmed Russia's readiness, internationally and bilaterally, to continue efforts to promote a just and comprehensive Middle East settlement, the pivotal element of which would be the solution to the Palestine problem on a two-state basis envisioning an independent and viable Palestinian state coexisting with Israel in peace and security.

There was emphasized on the Russian side the necessity of expeditiously lifting Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip in order to defuse tensions in the region and alleviate the socioeconomic and humanitarian plight of the people of that Palestinian territory.

The head of Russia’s foreign affairs agency described the easing of Gaza’s isolation, undertaken by Israeli authorities under the impact of the wave of international condemnation of the use of force against the Freedom Flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza, as a step in the right direction, but which must be followed by other measures.

The parties exchanged assessments of the situation around Iran after the adoption of UN Security Council resolution 1929, particularly in terms of strengthening the nuclear nonproliferation regime and converting the Middle East into a zone free of weapons of mass destruction as per the decisions of the NPT Review Conference. At the same time, Sergey Lavrov stressed the priority of political and diplomatic methods of work with Iran to assuage international concerns about its nuclear program.