Russia-Israel cooperation to be aimed at intensifying fight against terrorism - defense minister

MOSCOW, April 26. /TASS/. Cooperation between Russia and Israel will be aimed at strengthening the fight against terrorism and further coordination of activities in Syria, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said at a meeting with his Israeli counterpart Avigdor Lieberman on Wednesday. "Our countries have a lot of things in common, and we are committed to developing cooperation with Israel in many regions as a key partner and player in the Middle East. We have cooperated for a long time in solving regional and global problems," the Russian minister said. Shoigu noted that Israel, just like Russia, has first-hand knowledge of the terrorism issue. "I hope that today we will have an opportunity to discuss everything related to the operation in Syria, the more so since we are working there within the framework of our agreement on preventing mid-air incidents. I hope that our work in the future will be aimed at intensifying the fight against terrorism and further coordination of activities in that region," he underscored. For his part, Lieberman too pointed to constructive cooperation within the agreement describing this mechanism as effective. According to the Israeli minister, the Middle East is the world’s worst trouble spot, a hotbed of terrorism and the destabilization of the world community. According to Lieberman, there are many unresolved issues in the region, including social and economic, which affect security. "We are in the midst of these events, with militants of all kinds and of every stripe and color being represented at our borders. We try to act effectively and adequately," Liberman noted. "We appreciate our dialogue within the joint coordination group. The mechanism has proved to be effective so far," the Israeli minister said. He added that meetings between the two countries’ experts helped prevent possible misunderstandings and expressed the hope that this mutually beneficial dialogue would be continued. Read more