Russia to Open Embassy Branch in Yerushalayim

According to a report by Yisrael Hayom, it has been revealed that Russia and the United States secretly signed a deal for the construction of a branch office in Yerushalayim. This agreement comes five years after the U.S. opened its embassy in the city.

Under the terms of the agreement, the Yerushalayim City Hall, led by Mayor Moshe Lion, has resolved a longstanding dispute with the Russian Foreign Ministry. As part of the deal, Russia has committed to establishing a branch office for its Tel Aviv embassy in the Ma’alot Parking lot compound in the city center. In return, the city has agreed not to expropriate the area for the nearby light rail project, which would have required the line to be rerouted.

The city has granted ownership rights to Russia over a 300-foot stretch of land, which will serve as a passageway to the new diplomatic office. Additionally, outstanding taxes related to Russia’s diplomatic mission will no longer be demanded by the city.

The branch office is expected to offer consular services to residents of Jerusalem and will house diplomatic residences, giving it a higher status than a consulate. The agreement stipulates that the office should be completed within five years, with the possibility of an extension to ten years.

Mayor Moshe Lion and Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, who were involved in the negotiations for six months, attended the signing ceremony at the city hall on Jerusalem Day in May. The Russian delegation was represented by Ambassador Anatoly Viktorov and Ambassador-at-Large Sergey Makarov, who acted on behalf of Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov. Yerushalayim City Hall Director General Itzik Larry and Legal Advisor Eli Malka signed the agreement on behalf of the city, while Ambassador Yuval Fuchs, head of the Eurasia Bureau at the Israeli Foreign Ministry, represented the ministry.