President Abbas, ladies and gentlemen,
It is a great pleasure to once again welcome Mr Abbas,
the President of Palestine, here in Sochi.
We had substantive and constructive talks, which, as always,
took place in a spirit of trust and openness.
We discussed bilateral relations,
the Middle East peace process, and the region’s biggest problems.
Russian-Palestinian relations are traditionally friendly and our
regular meetings with President Abbas are evidence of the high level
of our political dialogue.
We are pleased to see that our ministries and agencies
maintain regular contacts.
Our intergovernmental commission is working hard,
and the biggest issue on its agenda is, of course,
to build up bilateral trade and develop investment cooperation.
We hope that the Eurasian Economic Union’s decision to include
Palestine among the users of the common preference system
will also boost bilateral trade.
This decision means that a range of Palestinian goods are now exempt
from customs duties when imported to EAEU territory.
Humanitarian ties have always had great significance in our
cooperation. I would like to remind you that Russia,
for a long time now, has supported Palestine in training specialists.
There are 500 Palestinians studying today in medical,
technical and humanitarian fields in Russian universities.
We have carried out a number of major cultural projects.
Last year, Russia took part in work to renovate Bethlehem’s historic
and religious centre – Star Street.
This street opens onto the square in front of the Church of Nativity.
I am sure that this restoration of the town’s main sites will bring
increased numbers of pilgrims and tourists from Russia.
More than 300,000 Russian citizens visited Palestine in 2016.
You saw that President Abbas and I took part via video linkup
in the opening of a multifunctional centre in Bethlehem today.
It was built with Russian assistance and is a gift
to the Palestinian people.
The Russian industrial group Alliance and Mr Bazhayev,
who is present here today, played a big part in this,
and I would like to express special gratitude to him for this.
Our joint work on this project does not end here.
We will work with the Palestinian managing organisation to carry out
various educational and humanitarian programmes.
This year, Palestine will host the Days of Russian Culture,
the programme of which includes film screenings,
exhibitions, and musical events.
Earlier, last December, the Days of Palestinian Culture were a success,
with events in Moscow, Grozny, and Tver.
Of course, Mr Abbas and I discussed in detail the situation with
the Middle East Peace Process.
I would like to stress that peaceful coexistence of two countries,
Palestine and Israel, is an essential condition for ensuring genuine
security and stability in this region.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has but one solution –
a political, negotiated solution based on international law.
It is therefore important to maintain bilateral relations,
refrain from unilateral steps, search together for mutually acceptable
solutions, and fight terrorism together.
As a member of the Middle East quartet, along with the UN, the USA,
and the European Union, Russia will continue to give its full support
to resuming direct dialogue between the Palestinians and Israelis.
Let me conclude by once again thanking Mr Abbas and our Palestinian
colleagues and friends for the substantive and constructive
conversation during today’s talks.
Thank you.
In the name of Allah the compassionate and the merciful, Mr Putin,
ladies and gentlemen, it is a great pleasure to meet with you today.
Mr President, we held good talks aimed at strengthening the relations
between our countries and our friendly peoples.
Our relations are longstanding and strong.
Russia has always been our friend and has always supported Palestine
in different international forums.
We will never forget that Russia was one of the first countries
to recognise the Palestinian state on the international arena.
We seek through every means to continue developing and reinforcing our
bilateral ties and activate our bilateral intergovernmental
commission’s work. In this respect,
let me express sincere gratitude for all that Russia has done in terms
of its programme of support for building the Palestinian
national state and its institutions.
I would also like to express particular gratitude to President Putin
and my highest praise for this large and well-equipped multifunctional
centre that Bethlehem has received as a gift.
Today via video linkup we opened this centre,
which will serve to develop culture, sports and business.
I briefed Mr Putin on developments in Palestine in light
of the continued Israeli occupation directed against our people and our
land, the policy of building settlements and strangling Palestine
by economic means, and the continuing detention of thousands
of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons.
All of this undermines hopes to bring peace to the region
and undermines the very idea of a solution of the issues
of the two states.
I would like to note the need to meet the humanitarian demands
of the thousands of prisoners who are currently on hunger strike.
We are making every possible effort to have them freed.
This is a major issue for us and we must resolve it.
We remain supportive of achieving a comprehensive fair and permanent
peace based on the rule of law and justice,
as well as internationally binding resolutions.
Earlier, we welcomed the invitation, which dates back several years,
to hold an international peace conference in Moscow.
We also welcomed your invitation to hold a trilateral meeting
in Moscow. We remain willing to accept such invitations at any time,
as the Russian Federation plays a key role in the international arena
and in the efforts to achieve peace in our region.
A week ago, I accepted an invitation from President Trump to meet with
him at the White House and expressed our total willingness to cooperate
with him, and to make every possible effort to conclude a historic
peace deal that would put an end to the confrontation
between the Israelis and us.
We welcome President Trump’s focus on trying to help us find a solution
to the struggle between the Israelis and us.
Also, in our conversation with President Putin,
we touched upon a number of issues concerning the situation
in the region. We appreciate Russia's counter-terrorism efforts,
as well as its contribution to strengthening security and stability
in the Middle East, including Syria.
From the outset, we have stood for resolving crises in the region
through dialogue in order to preserve the unity
and territorial integrity of these countries.
Mr President, considering the role and influence of Russia in promoting
the peace process, we look forward to seeing our people enjoy its
freedoms and sovereignty and live in an independent Palestinian state
with the capital in East Jerusalem within the 1967 borders,
side by side with the Israeli state,
which will put an end to the occupation that has been
imposed on us for 50 years now.
We believe that fighting terrorism and extremism is an international
responsibility, and we, for our part,
are committed to it. We believe that our people acquiring their freedom
and independence will deny the extremists leverage and help consolidate
the foundations of security and peace in our region.
Your Excellency, I would like to once again express our sincere
and deep gratitude for your hospitality.
We wish you good health and happiness,
and Russia and its friendly people –
continued prosperity and progress,
as well as the continued advancement of the friendly relations between
Russia and Palestine, which are deep and historic.
Long live Russian-Palestinian friendship!