Following talks between President of Russia Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu in Sochi on September 12, 2019, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made a press statement, in which he noted, according to the website of the Foreign Ministry, that during the talks “Much attention was paid to bilateral relations, primarily in the trade and economic sphere. The parties discussed the preparations for the next meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission to be held before the end of this year. Among other things, the topics that are being prepared for consideration at this meeting embrace the easing of customs procedures to enable more rapid two-way clearance of goods. Digital economy is also on the agenda. The Business Council will be convened for its regular meeting in tandem with the Intergovernmental Commission; the Business Forum will be held to promote direct business-to-business ties. The parties also reaffirmed their intention to speed up the coordination of a free trade agreement between Israel and the Eurasian Economic Union.”