JERUSALEM—Israeli President Reuven Rivlin hosted Wednesday a delegation from Greece and Cyprus who are visiting Israel as observers to the Jewish Agency for Israel’s Board of Governors’ meeting.
The delegation will be looking at how Israel maintains its ties with the global Jewish community to see how to strengthen relations with the Greek and Cypriot diasporas.
The delegation comprises government officials and is headed by Photis Photiu, Presidential Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs and Overseas Cypriots and by Nikolaos Quick, Deputy Foreign Minister of Greece. Chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel, Isaac (Boujie) Herzog, also participated in the meeting.
“Welcome to Israel!” the president said, adding “Israel, Greece and Cyprus are not just neighbors – we are strategic allies. We share challenges and opportunities. Like you, our people live both here and around the world. Your desire to maintain and strengthen relations with your disaporas is inspiring, and I am sure that our experience will be helpful.”
The president added, “I am sure we have much to learn from you, and that this initiative will benefit us all.”
Isaac Herzog, Chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel, declared that “the growing cooperation between the global Jewish community, and the Greece and Cypriot diasporas is a sign of the deep friendship developing between the peoples and the countries.’’