© Ruptly / RT
Originally appeared at A-specto, translated by Borislav exclusively for SouthFront
On June 7, in Moscow a meeting took place between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, at which economic cooperation between the two countries was disused, including in the energy sector. Putin noted that the reason for the visit of Netanyahu is the 25th anniversary of the restoration of diplomatic relations between Russia and Israel and stressed that the Soviet Union was the first to recognize the Israeli state. At a joint press conference, Netanyahu said: “Our doors are open to all companies, that have extensive experience in developing gas fields, including Russian ones.” Israeli Prime Minister added that there are no legal obstacles to the participation of Russian companies in the Israeli energy projects.
Another aspect of the bilateral meeting was cooperation in the fight against terrorism. In front of journalists, Putin stated: “We discussed the need for joint efforts to combat international terrorism. Israel knows what it means to fight terrorism. In this sense, we are unconditional allies”.
According to Putin, negotiations will begin this year on a free trade zone between Israel and the Eurasian Economic Union. He added that trade and economic ties between the two countries have been subject to the influence of adverse factors, but that he believes that the creation of a free trade area will create incentives for their development.
Russia and Israel will join forces against attempts to rewrite the history of World War II. “World War II is a very sensitive topic. Our peoples fought together against Nazism and paid a huge price to achieve victory. That’s why we need to honor the memory of the heroes and victims of the war and to oppose attempts for the Holocaust to be forgotten and for history to be rewritten” said the Russian head of state.
Asked whether the contract with the Polish gas company PGNiG, which expires in 2022, will be extended, Vladimir Putin said that in case of refusal by Poland, the Russian “Gazprom” will offer such volumes of gas to other European companies.
“Our partners in Poland have not yet given up on anything. However, the statement was made by a senior official in the government and the company that buys Russian gas is state property. Therefore we do not exclude such an outcome.”
The Russian president said that Moscow has not given up on either “Turkish Stream” or “South Stream”, but unequivocally stated: ” We need a clear position from the European Commission. A clear, comprehensible and unambiguous position, which is currently absent from either of the two projects “.
