ST. PETERSBURG (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd January, 2020) Israel and Russia signed two documents - an adoption agreement and a protocol of bilateral contacts and cooperation between the foreign ministries - ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Israel, Zeev Elkin, the Israeli co-chair of the Russian-Israeli Intergovernmental Commission, minister of Jerusalem affairs and minister of environmental protection, told Sputnik.
On Thursday, Putin will make an official visit to Israel where he will hold negotiations with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
According to Elkin, the Russian delegation - which included the Russian ambassador to Israel as well as deputy ministers of economy, energy, education and labor among others - met on Wednesday with the Israeli officials. The Wednesday meeting was not formally a session of the bilateral intergovernmental commission, the minister stressed.
"Two agreements were signed today [on Wednesday] as there will be no time for that tomorrow [Thursday]. Firstly, this is an adoption agreement, which has been prepared for many years. [The parties also signed] the protocol on cooperation between the Israeli and Russian foreign ministries," Elkin said on Wednesday.
Elkin described signing the adoption agreement as a historical event. The two countries have been discussing the document since 2016.
