Moscow - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Monday ensured Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Russia's continued support for the Palestinians in the Middle East.

The number of problems has definitely not grown less," said Medvedev as he received Abbas for an official meeting at the Kremlin, reported the Interfax news service.

To the dismay of Israel, Russia also maintains contacts to the radical Islamist Hamas organization. Moscow is trying to maintain an active role in the Middle East peace process, however no concrete date has yet to be set for a long-discussed Middle East conference in Moscow. (dpa)