Russia Achieved Success in Fighting Anti-Semitism Under Putin - Jewish Congress

President of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress Julius Meinl thanked on Tuesday Russian President Vladimir Putin for his successful efforts in combating anti-Semitism in the country.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Earlier on Tuesday, a two-day Moscow International Conference on Combating anti-Semitism kicked off in the Russian capital gathering politicians, experts and heads of international Jewish organizations.

"I would say it's very important to have this conference in Russia because Russia is a commendable example of how anti-Semitism was pushed back in the last 16 years. I would like to thank the president of the Russian Federation [Vladimir Putin] for having accomplished this," Meinl told Sputnik.

According to Russia's non-profit Levada Center, only six percent of Russian citizens in 2015 declared hostility towards Jews, down from 13 percent in 2005 and 11 percent in 2006.

Moreover, the percentage of Russian citizens considering Jews to be a peaceful nation rose from 37 percent in 1990 to 63 percent in 2015.

In January, Putin stated that all Jews facing anti-Semitism in Europe can settle in Russia.