Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin hosted Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas here on Monday, pledging to boost bilateral cooperation.
Medvedev and Abbas discussed bilateral ties and the Middle East peace process, saying that Russia and Palestine should "go forward together," Itar-Tass news agency reported.
During his meeting with Putin, Abbas appreciated Russia's political, economic and security support to his state, saying that he still hope to achieve a settlement and will take all necessary steps towards that though there were obstacles.
"There are certain obstacles along this path -- the upcoming elections in Israel and the recent elections in the United States, "Abbas was quoted as saying.
Abbas came to Russia following the adoption of a resolution on the Middle East peace process by the UN Security Council last Tuesday, the first such document by the UN body in five years.
The UN resolution was seen as a product of consensus among world powers as it was drafted first by the United States, presented to the Security Council as a Russia-U.S. joint initiative, and gained 14 votes in favor from the 15 council members.
Russia will host an international conference on the Middle East situation next spring, according to an agreement reached between the Middle East Quartet in early November.