Gary Koren, the new Israeli ambassador to Russia, on Thursday presented his credentials to Russian President Vladimir Putin, along with the newly-appointed ambassadors from Armenia, Afghanistan, Belgium, Benin, Brazil, Guatemala, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Qatar, Costa Rica, Nepal, Peru, Senegal, Tunisia, Turkey, Chile and Switzerland.
The ceremony was held in the Alexander Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace.
Accepting the credentials from the Israeli ambassador, Putin pointed out that the relations between the two countries “are really intense and multifaceted,” noting that he had met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu three times over the last three months. “I hope that the agreements reached by us will contribute to building up interaction in the trade and economic area, agriculture, and high-tech,” the Russian president said, adding that the two countries plan to continue the dialogue on “regional and global issues towards the establishment of a just, comprehensive and long-term peace in the Middle East.”
Ambassador Koren was born in Riga, in 1973, and made Aliyah at age 13. He has been working for Israel’s Foreign Ministry since 1986, and headed the Russian and FSR desk. He arrived at his Moscow post in January 2017.