Israel and the Soviet Union today signed the agreement providing for the purchase by the Israel Government of Soviet properties in this country. Finance Minister Pinhas Sapir signed the pact on behalf of Israel, and Soviet Ambassador Mikhail Bodrov signed for his Government.
The purchase, which involves $4,500, 000, will be paid for by Israel with one-third in cash and the remainder in kind, mostly with citrus shipments.
Foreign Minister Golda Meir, who was present at the signing ceremonies, hailed the agreement as “a personal achievement” for Ambassador Bodrov who is shortly leaving his post after serving as his country’s envoy for the past six years. He has been dean of the diplomatic corps here. His successor will be D. S. Tshubachin, former Soviet Ambassador to Canada. Ambassador Bodrov expressed the hope that the agreement will pave the way for closer relations between his country and Israel.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
