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Netanyahu, Putin discuss anti-terror efforts

Israel and Russia have developed relatively close ties over recent years, mainly over the Syrian civil war issue.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke on the phone on Saturday to discuss their countries’ cooperation in the fight on terrorism in the Middle East, the Kremlin press service stated on Saturday.

“In the light of Netanyahu’s official visit to Russia on June 7 they discussed Russian-Israeli cooperation against terror threat in the Middle East,” the Kremlin’s statement read, adding that Putin and Netanyahu agreed to continue contacts on various levels.

According to one report, it was Netanyahu who initiated the phone call.

Despite Russia’s ties with Iran and Syria as well as its tensions with the West over the war in Ukraine, Israel maintains a warm relationship with Moscow.

Last September in Moscow, Netanyahu and Putin established a mechanism to prevent inadvertent clashes over Syria.

Jerusalem and Moscow have established a line of communication to prevent possible clashes between the Israeli and Russian air forces in Syria.

Netanyahu and Putin since met again on the sidelines of the Paris climate change conference in late November.

The two leaders have spoken on the phone in the past, and appear to do so on a frequent basis.

By: Aryeh Savir, World Israel News