Russian President Vladimir Putin said in Moscow yesterday that his country supported the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

"We believe it is necessary to resume the peace process on the basis of the Roadmap settlement plan and consistently move towards its destination point -- the creation of an independent Palestinian state peacefully coexisting with Israel," Putin said while receiving credentials in Kremlin from eight new ambassadors to Russia, including Palestinian Ambassador Baker Abdel Munem.

"Russia is also ready in the future to provide assistance to the Palestinian government," the president was quoted by the Itar-Tass news agency as saying.

"The Russian and Palestinian people have been tied for decades by relations of mutual respect and our country is interested in attaining a just and comprehensive settlement in the Middle East," he added.

Munem said Russia had always supported the Palestinian people, adding " the Russian-Palestinian dialogue" had repeatedly stressed that "there cannot be peace, security and stability in the Middle East without the Palestinian state."

The Palestinian ambassador arrived in Moscow on February 14 after Hamas won a surprisingly landslide victory in the Palestinian legislative election in January.