Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos discussed the conflict in Syria and bilateral issues in a meeting with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, in the last day of his official two-day visit to the country.
According to the presidency, the meeting, which lasted more than an hour, also focused on the issue of migration towards Europe through Greece, as well the terrorist activity of the Islamic State. Pavlopoulos and Netanyahu also discussed the activities of the Greek-Israeli High Level Cooperation Council, and the trilateral cooperation between Greece, Cyprus and Israel on energy.
Earlier, in a visit to the Patriarchate in Jerusalem, Pavlopoulos said the EU must assume its responsibilities on the refugee issue. “The European Union must assume its responsibilities towards humanity and treat refugees with solidarity and love,” he stated in a meeting with the Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos.
The messages sent by the Jerusalem Patriarchate, through the Christian teachings and the coexistence, are significant for the EU that is at a critical crossroads,” Pavlopoulos underlined and added: “Only the Christian teachings can lead the actions of those who hold the fate of mankind in their hands.”
Patriarch Theofilos proclaimed him a member of the Crusader Order of the Holy Sepulcher and presented him with the Grande Cross of the Order. Pavlopoulos reciprocated by presenting the Patriarch with the Grande Cross of the Order of the Saviour, the highest honour that can be bestowed by the Hellenic Republic.
Meeting with Reuven Rivlin
“Europe needs to address the refugee issue in terms of humanity,” Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos on Wednesday said at a meeting with his Israeli counterpart Reuven Rivlin at the presidential mansion in Jerusalem.
“Europe must never again become a ‘dark continent’ and it must fight against any kind of xenophobia and racism, including anti-Semitism,” noted the President.
Pavlopoulos underlined that the Middle East is experiencing hard times because of the crises, the war, violent extremism and terrorism. “Europe and the entire civilized world are determined to crack down on terrorism, treating the jihadist terrorists as servants of a new kind of barbarism. But the refugee issue needs to be treated in terms of humanity,” he stated.
In 2016 Greece and Israel complete 26 years of diplomatic relations, Pavlopoulos said, which today “have acquired a dynamic momentum and have achieved a steady progress and substantial deepening of cooperation in all sectors” …
“Together the two countries can contribute to the restoration of stability in the Middle East and the promotion of an inclusive regional cooperation and help in consolidating the human and democratic values in the region. We also have to meet the new needs of our times, which require the support of all of us to consolidate and promote peace, stability, development and prosperity,” the Greek President stressed.
In response, the Israeli President explained that the two countries are not just friends, but they are rather close to each other. Mr. Rivlin further stressed that the so-called Islamic State group, the chaos in Syria and overall conflicts in the Middle East must be tackled jointly.
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