President of Palestinian Autonomy arrives in Russia

President of the Palestinian Autonomy Mahmoud Abbas is starting his official visit to Russia on Monday.

In Moscow, Abbas, is planned to meet government officials and to speak in Peoples' Friendship University of Russia.

With Russian President Vladimir Putin he is to discuss the situation in the Middle East and North Africa and to exchange views concerning the Palestinian-Israeli negotiations.

The press office of the Kremlin reports that topics of discussion will also include the Russian-Palestinian relations and ways to intensify them.

Earlier, Ambassador of Palestine to Russia Fayed Mustafa said that three documents would be signed as a result of Abbas’s visit (agreements between the ministries of communication, finance and economy).
In Feb, Mustafa said that Russia and Palestine were going to form a commission for developing their trade and economic ties.

Russia and Palestine are also committed to carry out joint projects in electric power engineering and oil and gas production.

In 2013, the Russian-Palestinian trade turnover made up $832,500, in Jan-Sept 2014, it amounted to $894,000. Over 85% of the goods exported from Russia to Palestine were wood cellulose liquor. 93% of the products imported from Palestine into Russia were food and agricultural produce.

In late Mar 2015, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the key prerequisite for the Palestinian problem to be resolved was exercise of the legal right of the Palestinian people to create their own independent state with a capital in East Jerusalem. He said that Russia would continue supporting Palestine’s wish to be independent though bilateral and multilateral formats.

In Dec 2014, the UN Security Council rejected a draft resolution on Palestine’s independence stipulating withdrawal of Israeli troops from Palestinian territories by 2017. The document got just eight votes, with the minimum being nine votes. One of the opponents was the United States.