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German Chancellor Angela Merkel Meets Israeli President Rivlin

Three days to strengthen the relations between Germany and Israel

May 15th, 2015
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Capucine Jorda – Germany and Israel celebrate 50 years of diplomatic ties in 2015. Representatives from the two countries met between the 10th and 13th of May. On 11th May Federal President Joachim Gauck welcomed the presidential couple with full military honors at Schloss Bellevue, the presidential palace. A press conference then followed, where Rivlin and Gauck presented a commemorative stamp, issued in honor of the occasion of the anniversary.  In the afternoon, Rivlin attended a memorial ceremony at the Holocaust memorial site “Platform 17” in Berlin’s Grunewald district. 

 

Later that day, Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Rivlin met with young people taking part in the German-Israeli Youth Conference, which went on from May 8th-11th in Berlin this year. President Rivlin emphasized on the importance of young people for the future.

 After the meeting with the young people, they had a talk about the current state of the bilateral relationship. Other topics discussed include the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and the crisis in the Middle-East. Both Merkel and Rivlin put emphasis on the importance of exchange between Germany and Israel, especially amongst young people.

On 12 May, President Rivlin met Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel and Federal Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, as well as the President of the Bundestag Norbert Lammert. They visited the “LivingFuture!” event, staged by the German-Israeli Future Forum. President Rivlin and his wife visited various sites in the city of Kiel on May 13 and they were received by the Prime Minister of the Federal State of Schleswig-Holstein, Torsten Albig.

 On May 12, 1965 Germany and Israel officially opened up diplomatic ties and their relations have seen incredible developments through the years- both good and bad. Today, as President Rivlin mentioned, their discussion was not just about Israel and Germany, but how to create a better world and a better future for everyone. 

News from Berlin
Berlin Global