Russia will soon establish a low-level liaison office in the autonomous Jericho region in the West Bank.
The decision to open an interest section in Jericho, which officially fell under Palestinian self-rule in May, was announced in Moscow during an official visit there by Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, who is also known as Abu Mazen.
An interest section falls short of full diplomatic representation, a move prevented by the Palestinian self-rule accord, which denies the Palestinians the right to have direct diplomatic ties with foreign governments.
In late August, Germany became the first country to establish a mission in the Palestinian autonomous areas when it opened an office in Jericho to monitor the spending of German aid to the Palestinians.
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