foreign Minister, Eli Cohentalked today (Tuesday) with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. Minister Cohen’s office stated that the ministers discussed a series of bilateral and regional issues. “Foreign Minister Cohen made extensive reference to the Jewish community in Russia and ex-Soviet expatriates in Israel and their importance to the relations between the countries,” it said.
No change in policy: Foreign Minister Cohen clarified what he meant in his speech on Ukraine
On the other hand, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Moscow stated that Lavrov expressed his willingness to work together to strengthen the diverse cooperation between Russia and Israel. It was also reported that the ministers “discussed topical tasks on the bilateral agenda while emphasizing the importance of strengthening the potential for commercial and economic cooperation. In this context, the need for convening the next meeting of the joint Russian-Israeli committee was emphasized.”
“The ministers reviewed the situation in the Middle East and North Africa. When they discussed the problems of the Palestinian-Israeli settlement, the Russian side emphasized its willingness to continue assisting in the restart of the peace process on a recognized international legal basis,” it said.
According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, Lavrov reaffirmed Russia’s position in favor of normalizing the situation in Syria through political and diplomatic means in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2254 (“Road Map for a Peace Process in Syria”). It was also reported that Lavrov updated Minister Cohen on the fighting situation in Ukraine.
As I recall, yesterday Minister Cohen said regarding the war between Russia and Ukraine that “we will do one thing for sure – publicly – we will talk less. We will prepare a detailed reference from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Cabinet in order to formulate a responsible policy. In any case – the significant humanitarian aid to Ukraine will continue”. Cohen’s words caused outrage in the United States. The senior Republican senator Lindsay Graham He tweeted against the expected conversation and harshly attacked it: “He is talking to a representative of a war criminal regime.”