Russia, Israel sign visa agreement

A Russian-Israeli agreement signed in Moscow today determines the visa issuance procedure for diplomatic and office passport holders.

Signing the document were co-chairmen of a bilateral ad hoc committee for the Middle East--Alexander Saltanov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, for Russia, and Avi Gil, Director-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for Israel.

As Mr. Gil took the floor after the ceremony, he highlighted committee consultations which had just taken place, concerning bilateral relations and Mideastern developments. The Israeli visitor expressed satisfaction with Russian stances on Mideastern settlement and the anti-terror cause.

Alexander Saltanov, in his turn, described opinion exchanges on the committee as "extremely useful, especially in the context of the current Mideastern situation". He is sure the consultations will promote settlement efforts to come as another stride toward an international conference on the crucial issue.