JERUSALEM (JTA) — World-renowned Russian classical pianist Evgeny Kissin received Israeli citizenship so that he could “fight for Israel” as an Israeli.

Kissin was presented with his Israeli identification card and Israeli passport in Jerusalem on Saturday night by Minister of Immigration and Absorption Sofa Landver and Chairman of the Executive of The Jewish Agency for Israel Natan Sharansky, according to the Jewish Agency.

“I am with you, State of Israel, I am with you, my people. Now I can tell the whole world not only ‘I am a Jew,’ but also ‘I am an Israeli,’” Kissin said in Hebrew when he received his citizenship.

Kissin, 42, was born in Moscow and regularly appears with today’s leading conductors at major music festivals around the world. He has been awarded two Grammy Awards. He received an honorary doctorate from the Hebrew University in 2010

Kissin regularly engages in pro-Israel activities aimed at countering assaults on Israel’s legitimacy, according to the Jewish Agency.

Kissin, who travels frequently and is not permanently based in Israel, asked one year ago to become a citizen of Israel. Sharansky recommended that the Government of Israel present Kissin with Israeli citizenship due to his “significant contribution to Israel in the international arena,” according to the Jewish Agency.