Matviyenko notes Peres' contribution to development of Israel-Russia relations
JERUSALEM. Sept 30 (Interfax) - The death of legendary Israeli statesman Shimon Peres is a loss not only for Israel, but also for Russia as Peres had made a major contribution to the development of relations between the two countries, Valentina Matviyenko, speaker of the Federation Council, the upper house of Russia's parliament, said.
"No matter what post he held, Shimon Peres always attached great importance to relations with Russia and how to make them better. And he did a great deal for it," Matviyenko told reporters in Jerusalem, where people are paying their last respects to Peres on Friday.
Matviyenko said that she had met with Peres.
"It was a conversation with a very knowledgeable and wise man. I was greatly impressed by his interest in our country, especially our culture, and his striving to develop relations between our countries and make them stronger," Matviyenko, who is representing Russia at the funeral of Israel's former president and prime minister, said.
"The death of Shimon Peres is a loss not only for Israel, but also for Russia. We are in mourning together with his fellow citizens," she said.
Scores of bright, strong and active politicians entered the world political stage in the post-war decades, and the former Israeli president has every right to be among them, Matviyenko said.
"He is a legendary man for Israel, and not for this country alone. As a matter of fact, his political career had continued for more than 70 years. There was no leading post that he would not have held: minister, prime minister [twice], president," she said.
Like any politician, Peres saw both victories and failures, but he entered the history of Israel and the world as a person who made difficult decisions and successfully put them into practice, she said.
"The creation of the young state's defense industry, stabilization of the internal political situation and the restoration of the country's financial system in the second half of the 1980s are linked with his name," she said.
Peres entered the history of international politics as a person who made a sizeable contribution to the settlement of disagreements in the Middle East, who facilitated the withdrawal of forces from Lebanon, who seriously improved relations with Arab countries, and who took an active part in drafting and signing the peace agreement with the Palestine Liberation Organization, Matviyenko said.
"This contribution of Shimon Peres was recognized by awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to him along with Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat," she said.
In line with the Russian president's instruction, Matviyenko attended the mourning ceremony for Peres on Jerusalem's Mount Herzl, where a memorial cemetery is located.