BICOM

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a “direct and forthright” talk on Syria with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, during a visit to Moscow.

Netanyahu was in Moscow to attend a parade commemorating the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany 73 years ago as well as to discuss the Syrian war and tensions between Israel and Iran with the Russian leader. After the parade, the leaders laid a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier in Red Square.

Netanyahu told reporters: “I told President Putin that it is our right and duty to take any steps required for to safeguard our security interests. The meetings between us are always important and this one is especially so. In light of what is currently happening in Syria, it is necessary to ensure the continued coordination [between the two militaries].”

Netanyahu also accused Iran of “trying to transfer forces and deadly weapons” to Syria “with the explicit goal of attacking the state of Israel. He refused to answer whether or not Putin had asked Israel to refrain from violating Syrian airspace. Russia has alarmed Israel by raising the possibility of supplying advanced S-300 air-defence systems to Syria in the wake of strikes by the US, France and the UK last month in retaliation for an alleged chemical weapons attack by the Syrian regime.

Speaking about Netanyahu’s visit to Moscow, Putin said: “I hope that together we will be able not only to discuss the situation in the Middle East, but to produce solutions. That will lead to a change in the situation in the Middle East and will allow us to find ways of resolving other urgent conflicts in the region.”

Netanyahu also showed Putin documents that were taken from the Iranian atomic archives that Israel revealed it had obtained last week.

A delegation of Russian intelligence officials will go to Israel in the near future to examine the documents, Netanyahu said: “There’s a lot more information that they’re unfamiliar with.”