The Kremlin expects Israeli authorities to provide the necessary assistance to complete the registration of Russia's rights to the Alexandrovsky compound in Jerusalem. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said this on Tuesday, responding to a question about whether Vladimir Putin had indeed sent a letter on the subject to Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.
The Kremlin spokesman would not comment on the correspondence, "especially diplomatic correspondence at the highest level."
"I can only say that the subject of the Alexandrovsky compound has indeed been at the top of the agenda of Russian-Israeli relations for quite a long time. We expect that the Israeli side and the Israeli leadership will provide all necessary assistance so that the necessary formalization of this situation can be completed," Peskov stressed.
On April 15, Chairman of the Imperial Palestinian Orthodox Society (IPOS) Sergey Stepashin reported that Putin appealed to Bennett in writing with a request to take a positive decision on the registration of Russia's ownership of the Alexandrovsky compound.
Earlier, Russian Ambassador to Israel Anatoly Viktorov noted that a number of structures were groundlessly opposing the re-registration of the farmstead to the Russian Federation. Viktorov recalled that on October 19, 2020, the real estate registrar of the Israeli Ministry of Justice decided to re-register the backyard to the Russian Federation, and on November 22, 2020, the head of the real estate registration and regularization department of the Israeli Ministry of Justice upheld the verdict, which was later appealed to the court. The Jerusalem District Court concluded on March 2 that the issue of such a plan should be resolved solely by the government of the country and not by the judiciary.
The Alexandrovsky compound is located in the Old City of Jerusalem near the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. On its territory there are the Threshold of the Judgment Gates, the house church of St. Alexander Nevsky and the museum. The land for its construction was purchased by Alexander II in 1859, the complex of buildings was built by the Imperial Orthodox Palestinian Society in 1896. Disputes over the right of ownership of the farmstead began after the revolution of 1917.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: official website of the President of the Russian Federation
Based on materials from TASS