(Communicated by the President's Spokesperson)
President of Israel Reuven Rivlin this morning (Wednesday, 14 October 2015) hosted at his residence an official welcome ceremony for President of India Pranab Mukherjee on the occasion of his state visit to Israel – the first official visit to Israel by an Indian president. President Rivlin welcomed President Mukherjee on the red carpet, where the two stood side-by-side for the playing of the national anthems, before together reviewing a guard of honor. They were then welcomed by a wide-ranging delegation of Israeli and Indian officials including ministers, members of parliament, and faith leaders.
The two presidents then delivered public statements. President Rivlin warmly welcomed his guest and said, "Even as a president of a country, as wonderful as India, or Israel, it is not every day that one truly has the chance to make history. But today, we together are making history. So for the first time ever, as President of the State of Israel I have the honor of saying to you, as President of India, 'Welcome to Israel, welcome to Jerusalem'."
President Rivlin noted, "Our two peoples have very long histories, yet our two countries are still very young. We share many common concerns and challenges; both internally, and externally, and I look forward to speaking with you about our strong cooperation and partnership on these important issues. Indians and Israelis are working together - not only on breakthroughs in the supply of basic foods and water, but are also working together to create the highest level of technology. We are working to safeguard the environment, we are working to develop academic study, and we are working to keep our peoples safe in the face of terrorism and fundamentalism."
President Mukherjee thanked President Rivlin and noted he was accompanied by India's Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, a delegation of members of parliament representing many different political parties and regions of India, as well as a group of eminent educators. He said, "I greatly look forward to my discussions with His Excellency the President of Israel, and other political leaders. We will engage on a wide range of issues of shared interest, and my officials and the senior members of my delegation will meet their Israeli counterparts to discuss ways to take forward our bilateral relationship, and explore new avenues of corporation and partnership."
President Mukherjee went on to say that, "India attaches high importance to its relationship with Israel, a relationship which has taken great strides in the last few years. We are cooperating and collaborating in a range of areas including defense, agriculture, scientific research, and innovation. We are also discovering and identifying new areas of partnership with significant potential to be realised. We will also take this opportunity to discuss the many global challenges that are two countries face today, including the growing menace of terrorism and extremism, our common concerns about climate change, and the urgent need for reform of global governance infrastructure."
President Mukherjee stressed, "We are disturbed by the recent violence. India condemns all forms of terrorism, and we have always advocated for a peaceful solution to all disputes. I will seek the assessment of the Israeli leadership and about the recent developments in this region which have caused concern all over the world, and have direct implications for India."
Following their statements, the two presidents were joined by Israeli Ambassador to India Daniel Carmon, and Eastern Region Secretary of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs Anil Wadwah, who together signed two bilateral agreements between India and Israel; a double taxation agreement, and a cultural exchange agreement.
The two presidents, together with the senior delegations then went on to hold a working meeting, before they travelled to the Knesset where President Mukherjee was due to deliver an address to a special plenary meeting in honor of his visit.