(Communicated by the Office of the President)

Newly appointed ambassadors from China, New Zealand, and Burkina Faso this morning (Thursday) presented their diplomatic credentials to President of Israel Reuven Rivlin, during an official ceremony at the President's Residence. In their meetings, the President expressed to each of them his desire for Israel to deepen and strengthen cooperation and mutually beneficial bilateral relationships with each of the states, and in turn the ambassadors noted their high expectations for their time as their countries' official representatives to Israel.

The incoming Ambassador of China, H.E. Mr. Zhan Yongxin said to the President upon presenting his credentials, "I bring with me the greetings of the Chinese President, and wish to express my appreciation of the warm welcome I have received in Israel."
 
The President expressed his thanks for China's efforts to assist in the rescue of Israelis caught in the Nepalese earthquake disaster. He said, "I want to thank you for your government's involvement in assisting Israeli tourists in Nepal after the terrible earthquake - for this I thank you and your country, from the bottom of my heart."
 
The Ambassador of China said, "The Chinese and Jewish peoples have enjoyed a long standing friendship and this serves as a solid foundation for furthering our cooperation. We have, since the establishment of diplomatic relations, made considerable progress in our cooperation in various fields, and frequent political interchanges and mutual visits have taken place, especially in the fields of innovation and technology. It is time for us to turn plans into action and transform expectation into reality. I believe we can double the trade volume between Israel and China over the next decade. It is my hope that will be able to embolden our fruitful cooperation in many fields."



President Rivlin receives credentials from New Zeland Amb Jonathan Andrew Curr
Copyright: GPO/Mark Neiman
 
Non-Resident Ambassador of New Zealand, H.E. Jonathan Andrew Curr, presented his credentials and said, "The relationship between Israel and New Zealand is very important to me personally as newly appointed ambassador, but also to the people of New Zealand as a whole. There is a very deep relationship between our two peoples, and a great amount of cooperation. We don't always see things exactly the same way in this region, but our approach has always been to listen to our friends and learn and understand their concerns. This visit is an opportunity to understand and learn more of Israel's outlook on developments in the region."
 
The President welcome the Ambassador and said, "I have been to New Zealand just once in my life but I will never forget the wonderful people I met there. New Zealand is a model of multiculturalism. We enjoy very strong relations between our countries, and though there are differences of opinions, as friends, we can agree to disagree."
 
The President added, "I would ask you to express to the government in New Zealand, the message that  a solution to the conflict will be possible only through direct negotiations, and not through unilateral moves on the part of our neighbors the Palestinians."
 


President Rivlin receives credentials from Burkina Faso Amb Gnama Henri Bacye
Copyright: GPO/Mark Neiman

Non-Resident Ambassador of Burkina Faso H.E. Mr. Gnama Henri Bacye, presented his credentials to the President and said, "I want to thank you and the State of Israel for your warm welcome. For me, arriving in the eternal city of Jerusalem is a dream come true. I visited the Old City, and at the Western Wall I prayed for peace for your region and the whole world."
 
The President responded, "I am very pleased to receive your credentials and welcome you to the President's Residence. Our relations with you are of high importance, we are cooperating  in a range of subjects. I know that even as we speak, the director general of your Ministry of Agriculture is visiting Israel. The mutual exchange of information is beneficial to both our countries, and we will be happy to continue and deepen our relationship."
 
The Ambassador added, "I would like that my submitting of credentials today, will be moment of renewal and increasing our relationship." He raised with the President a proposal to encorage Israelis who have retired from full time work, to come to Burkina Faso to aid with their experience and knowledge in their respective fields. The Ambassador also extended an invitation to the President to visit Burkina Faso. The President thanked him for his invitation and stated, "Israeli pensioners certainly represent a wealth of experience and knowledge."