OREANDA-NEWSIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday to Vladimir Putin that he was glad to welcome him at his residence in Jerusalem.

“My wife Sara and I are pleased to welcome our great friend, the President of the Russian Federation. We are glad to see you here in Jerusalem, and I want to thank you for the strong bond between Russia and Israel, which serves the interests of our peoples and our politics, as well as peace and stability in the region. Welcome to Jerusalem", said the Prime Minister, addressing Putin. The meeting was broadcast by the Office of the Israeli Prime Minister.

The Russian leader’s trip to Israel coincides with the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp by the Red Army and Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Putin will act as the main foreign guest at the World Forum "Keep the Holocaust in memory, fighting anti-Semitism". In addition to negotiations with Netanyahu, the Russian leader will also meet with the president of the Jewish state, Reuven Rivlin.