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President of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas (retranslated): In the name of Allah, the Merciful and the Compassionate, I would like to welcome the esteemed Vladimir Putin, the President of the Russian Federation, my personal friend, and a friend of all Palestinians, who will not miss an opportunity to draw the attention of the international community to the Palestinian issue or to render us comprehensive assistance. We have become very accustomed to this.

Naturally, we attach much importance to the regular exchange of visits at top level – visits to Moscow and your visit to Palestine – to compare notes and exchange views on the issues that are of interest to the Russian Federation and the State of Palestine.

I would like to thank you for your all-round support. I am referring to political, economic and cultural assistance, financial cooperation and aid to Palestine in the area of security.

I would like to thank you for your support and the work that you do in our area, I am referring to the Arab world. We consider this confirmation of the fact that Arab affairs are important to the Russian Federation. Russia is always present in the Arab world and is always working to resolve its problems.

Naturally, we have a number of issues to discuss. I am primarily referring to Israel’s statement on the annexation of Palestinian lands, and the likelihood of an announcement on the second part of “the deal of the century” by Trump. As you know, the Americans have already made public the first part. We must also discuss the holding of parliamentary and presidential elections in the State of Palestine. These are the issues we would like to review.

Mr President, allow us to welcome you to the State of Palestine once again. I hope I will have an opportunity to personally congratulate you on the victory over Nazism in Moscow in May.

Welcome.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr President, I am very happy to see you.

We meet regularly and are always in contact.

Russian-Palestinian ties have long and deep roots. We maintain relations in the most diverse areas. You have just mentioned them. We are interested in building up our cooperation in the economy and humanitarian areas and, of course, on issues related to an Arab-Israeli settlement. We understand your concerns in this respect.

I am very happy to have this opportunity to hold consultations with you on all of these issues, including, of course, in a broader context, the situation in the region as a whole.

Of course, we are looking forward to seeing you in Moscow in May for the Day of Victory over Nazism.

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