Israel's Rivlin Meets Russia's Putin at Kremlin to Discuss Syria

President Reuven Rivlin met with Russian leader Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Wednesday afternoon.

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Prior to the meeting, Putin told Rivlin that he has spoken with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and that the latter will travel to Moscow soon.

"The relations between our countries are based of friendship and mutual understanding," Putin said. "One and a half million of Israeli citizens speak Russian and [come from] Russian culture. The number of tourists from Russia who travel to Israel grows every month."

Rivlin, in turn, noted that Russian and Israeli have a long history. "I want to say that we will never forget the Russian people and the Red Army for their victory over the Nazis," he told Putin. "Around the world, many survivors of the Holocaust remember that the first soldiers they met on their liberation were the soldiers of the Red Army."

"Today, both of us deal with terrorism and fundamentalism," Rivlin added.

The meeting was expected to focus on the situation in Syria and the international efforts to reach a resolution that would put an end to the civil war there.