Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Wednesday confirmed plans to visit Jordan and the Palestinian territories this month despite the postponement of his visit to Israel due to a strike action by the foreign ministry staff.
"The preparation for the planned visits of the president to Jordan and the Palestinian territories is going ahead in a normal way," said a statement posted on the Kremlin website on Wednesday.
Israel on Monday asked Russia to postpone Medvedev's visit scheduled for January 16-19 because Israeli foreign ministry workers have gone on strike in a pay dispute.
"The Russian president's visit has been postponed until there are conditions that allow us to prepare for such a visit properly," Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said.
Medvedev spoke to Israeli President Shimon Peres by telephone on Tuesday evening, with his Israeli counterpart apologizing for the cancellation, the Kremlin said.
"The Russian president accepted this information," the Kremlin said.
The two leaders agreed to hold to hold bilateral talks on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos at the end of January.
Medvedev was to be accompanied in Israel by a delegation of 500 members, including business executives and senior officials and journalists. Israel has a large community of Jewish immigrants from Russia.
This official visit to Israel was to be his first as Russian president. Vladimir Putin visited while president in 2005.
Medvedev was to be accompanied by a delegation of 500 members, including business executives and senior officials.
The foreign ministry strike has also foiled visits by the leaders of Croatia and Slovenia, and may cast doubts on a visit by the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, due at the end of January.
Merkel is scheduled to arrive with several members of her cabinet for the annual joint German-Israeli government session but the foreign ministry work dispute was not settled before then, this visit would also likely be called off.