Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has canceled a visit to Israel later this month over strike actions by the country's foreign ministry staff, the Kremlin's press service said in a statement, RIA Novosti reported.
Israeli President Shimon Peres apologized to Medvedev in a telephone conversation on Tuesday, the statement said.
The two leaders have agreed to hold bilateral talks on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos at the end of January.
"The Russian president's visit has been postponed until there are conditions that allow us to prepare for such a visit properly," Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said earlier on Tuesday.
For the second week in a row now, employees of the Israeli Foreign Ministry have been protesting low salaries.
Medvedev was to be accompanied by a delegation of 500 members, including business executives and senior officials. The January 17-19 visit was planned months in advance.