Official sees Russia 'evolve positively' on Iran

JPost -- A Foreign Ministry official said Saturday evening that the Russian posture on Iran is improving, but that differences on the issue between Jerusalem and Moscow remain.

Ahead of an anticipated visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Yacov Livne, director of the Foreign Ministry's Eurasia department, described a "positive evolution in the Russian attitude toward Iran."

Speaking at the Limmud FSU conference being held in Princeton over the weekend, Livne pointed to Russia's decision not to sell Iran a sophisticated missile defense system as among the steps that Israel has greeted warmly.

He attributed the shift in the Russian position to Moscow's own desire not to see Tehran acquire nuclear weapons technology and spark a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. He said the decision not to sell the missile defense system was particularly significant given Russia's growing concerns about being edged out of the international arms sales market.

But he indicated that Israel and Russia weren't entirely on the same page about what steps should be taken to halt Iran's ambitions.

"There is a question of what Russia is prepared to do to prevent this horror situation from happening," Livne said. "There is a gap, but this gap is getting smaller not larger over time."

He added that when it comes to Russia's actions on Iran, "It's true that they have not done as much as we would like them to do. But it's not only Russia, but the international community. The international community should have done much more."

Livne assessed that the Russian policy towards Israel and Iran wouldn't change much as a result of the change in leadership in Russia, with Putin re-assuming the presidency this month after a stint as prime minister.

Putin's anticipated visit to Israel, expected to coincide with the unveiling of a memorial in Netanya dedicated to soldiers in the Red Army who helped to end the Nazi threat, would be one of his first visits abroad following his inauguration.

Livne was addressing the conference, which focuses on teaching about Jewish traditions and culture in realms relevant to American Jews of Russian descent, on the relationship between Israel and Russia 20 years after establishing ties.

Livne, who previously served in Moscow and Berlin, said the attitude on the ground in Russia and other FSU countries toward Israel was also getting better. He noted that in contrast to Western Europe, there was almost no trace of efforts to delegitimize Israel and that campaigns against Israel were absent in Eastern Europe as well as former Soviet states.

He highlighted the explosion in tourism to the Jewish state, noting that upwards of 500,000 Russians visit Israel every year, second only to the approximately 600,000 Americans who visit. On top of that 200,000 Ukrainians visit each year. He pointed to religious interest, friendships and business ties with the large Russian-speaking Israeli community, tourism opportunities at the Dead Sea and Eilat as major reasons for the number of visits.

"One can hardly find people in the Russian elite who have not visited Israel," Livne said.