ISTANBUL, Aug 13 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday arrived in the Russian capital, Moscow, for an official visit, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported.
Russian media outlets have published videos showing Abbas’s arrival at Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport, where he was greeted by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, who is also the country’s special envoy for the Middle East and Africa.
Abbas is scheduled to meet his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on Tuesday, during which they are expected to exchange views on the situation in the Middle East “in light of the current aggravation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip,” according to a Kremlin statement.
The Palestinian Ambassador to Russia, Abdel Hafiz Nofal, told the state news agency TASS on Sunday that Abbas is also scheduled to lay flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow and hold a meeting with Arab ambassadors in the country during his stay.
Initially planned for Nov 15 last year, the visit was postponed at the request of the Palestinian side due to the situation in Gaza.
-- BERNAMA-ANADOLU