Netanyahu, Putin to discuss
Prime minister to travel to Moscow . 
Monday to mark 25 years of diplom
Shlomo Cesana and Mati Tuchfeld
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was set to travel to Moscow on Monday to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The visit was designed to mark the 25th anniversary of the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Netanyahu, who is scheduled to return on Wednesday, was to be joined by his wife, Sara, and two ministers: Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage Minister Zeev Elkin (Likud) and Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Uri Ariel (Habayit Hayehudi).
As part of his visit, Netanyahu was scheduled to visit the Kubinka Tank Museum near the Russian capital, where an Israeli tank is on display. Putin recently agreed to hand over the tank to Israel, some 34 years after it was seized by Syrian forces during the Battle of Sultan Yacoub on the fifth day of the First Lebanon War in June 1982. Three IDF Armored Corps soldiers — Tzvi Feldman, Yehuda Katz and Zechariah Baumel — are still missing in action from that battle.
The Prime Minister’s Office said Sunday that the talks between Netanyahu and Putin would cover the security and political developments in light of the Russian activity in the region, as well as the payment of pension benefits for Russian immigrants in Israel, an issue that has recently been resolved after many years of stagnation thanks to Netanyahu’s efforts.
„The prime minister will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and will discuss the implementation of the understandings that were achieved during his visit to Moscow this past April,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement on Sunday.
„They will also discuss various regional issues including the global fight against terrorism, the situation in and around Syria and the diplomatic horizon between Israel and the Palestinians, as well as bilateral economic and trade cooperation and the strengthening of cultural and humanitarian ties. Pursuant to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s efforts, a bilateral pensions agreement will be signed, the goal of which is to correct an historic injustice regarding emigres from the former USSR who arrived in Israel up until 1992, who lost their eligibility for a Russian pension. The agreement will be signed by Minister Zeev Elkin and Russian Labor and Social Protection Minister Maxim Topilin. The agreement will take effect only after ratification by the Russian authorities. Both governments hope payments begin in 2017.”
According to Netanyahu’s office, Ariel and his Russian counterpart, Agriculture Minister Alexander Tkachev, will sign a memorandum of understanding to enhance Israeli-Russian cooperation on agriculture, including „advanced dairy technology.”
During his visit, Netanyahu was expected to inaugurate the interactive exhibit „Open a Door to Israel,” a collaboration of the Foreign Ministry and Strategic Affairs Ministry.
