Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent a telegram conveying his condolences over the death of the former Israeli president Shimon Peres, the Kremlin press service said.
In expressing condolences to Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and to all the Israeli people, Putin noted that Peres "won sincere respect among compatriots and abroad" by his longstanding endeavors as Israel’s statesman.
Putin highly praised Peres’ personal contribution towards achieving a peaceful settlement in the Middle East which was duly appreciated by the international community and this was confirmed by awarding him the Nobel peace prize, the statement said.
"I was happy to communicate with this outstanding person many times. Each time I admired his courage and patriotism, wisdom and far-sightedness, the ability to get to the bottom of the most difficult issues," TASS cited Putin as saying.
The former Israeli leader died today at the age of 93.
