Putin praises Israel's Peres for 'courage and patriotism'

Putin praises Israel’s Peres for ‘courage and patriotism’

By : AFP

Date: 28 September 2016 1:30pm WAT

A picture taken on May 22, 2016 shows Israeli President Shimon Peres welcoming the French prime minister before at the Peres Centre for Peace in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv. Israeli ex-president and Nobel Peace Prize winner Shimon Peres died on September 28, 2016 some two weeks after suffering a major stroke, triggering an outpouring of grief for the beloved elder statesman / AFP PHOTO / JACK GUEZ

Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed former Israeli statesman Shimon Peres, who died on Wednesday at the age of 93, for his “courage and patriotism”.

“I was lucky enough to have the chance to speak with this remarkable person many times. Every time I admired his courage and patriotism, his wisdom and vision, his ability to grasp the essence of the most difficult issues,” Putin said in a message of condolence.

“In our country he will be remembered as a staunch supporter of the development of friendly Russian-Israeli ties, having done much to strengthen mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation.”