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Israeli air force chief holds meetings on Il-20 crash with Russian military commanders

Russian Aviaton » Thursday September 20, 2018 22:57 MSK
The IDF delegation to Moscow | © Israel Defense Forces

Israeli Air Force Chief Major General Amikam Norkin has held meetings with senior Russian military commanders concerning the downing of Russia’s Ilyushin Il-20 aircraft over the Mediterranean Sea, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement.

"The IDF delegation to Moscow, led by the Commander of the IAF, Maj. Gen. Amikam Norkin, has held several meetings with the Commander of the Russian Air Force, senior commanders of the Russian army and other officials of the Russian Air Force," the statement reads.

"The Israeli officers presented the situation report regarding the downing of the Russian plane by Syrian anti-aircraft fire on Monday night, as well as the pre-mission information and the findings of the IDF's inquiry of the event," the Israel Defense Forces said, adding that "the meetings were conducted following the agreement between the Israeli Prime Minister, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu and the Russian President, Mr. Vladimir Putin."

"The meetings were held in good spirits and the representatives shared a professional, open and transparent discussion on various issues. Both sides emphasized the importance of the states' interests and the continued implementation of the deconfliction system," the statement says.

"In addition, the IDF presented the ongoing Iranian attempts to establish its military presence in Syria and to transfer strategic weapons to the Hezbollah terror organization," the IDF noted. "The Israeli delegation continues its meetings and will return to Israel tomorrow morning, as planned."

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin in a Tuesday telephone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had agreed to allow a group of experts led by the Israeli air force chief to bring their data on the Il-20 crash to Moscow. Peskov added that as far as the downing of the aircraft was concerned, Putin was guided by information provided by the Russian Defense Ministry but Russian experts would also study the information Israel would share.