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Russian PM says Moscow wants increased trade, cooperation with Israel
Russia’s Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said yesterday that Moscow is keen to increase trade relations and cross-sector cooperation with Israel.
Medvedev was speaking alongside Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin, as he ended his official visit to Moscow. While much of Rivlin’s trip focused on encouraging ongoing security cooperation between the two countries, in the wake of Russia’s sudden withdrawal from Syria, Medvedev highlighted the importance of increasing bilateral trade. He said, “I see in the near future a real opportunity to increase trade. Recently, we have encountered export restrictions to Europe, Turkey has left our market and we are open to more exports from Israel.” Russia’s economy has been hit by United States and European Union sanctions over Moscow’s military intervention in Ukraine.
Medvedev also said that there should be increased bilateral cooperation in a variety of fields, including agriculture, hi-tech, space exploration, energy, and medical technology. Both Medvedev and Rivlin endorsed advancing talks to reach a free trade agreement between Israel and Russia.
Rivlin said that he was “very happy” to talk about boosting relations “with Russia as an important country in a range of issues.” He also noted that “When such a large percentage of the citizens of our state are Russian speakers, the ties between us have increased and become unbreakable.” Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, at least one million Russian-speakers emigrated to Israel.
Earlier in the week, Rivlin met with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and outlined Israeli concerns following the announcement that Russian troops are pulling out of Syria. During Russia’s six-month engagement in Syria, Israeli and Russian militaries developed a high-level chain of communication, in order to coordinate their respective military operations in and around Syria. However, Rivlin is thought to have made clear that Israel will not accept the growth in Iranian and Hezbollah influence on the Israel-Syria border in the absence of Russian forces.