​(Communicated by the President's Spokesperson)
 
President Reuven Rivlin this morning (Thursday 6 August 2015) at a ceremony held at the President's Residence, received the diplomatic credentials of five new ambassadors to Israel, representing Cyprus, the UK, Germany, Rwanda, and Seychelles.
 
President Rivlin said to Ambassador of Cyprus, H.E. Ms. Thessalia Salina Shambos, "I am delighted to receive you here in Jerusalem, our two countries are more than friends, we are neighbors. As I said to your President when he visited Israel recently, the Jewish people will never forget the help of the people of Cyprus in the aftermath of the Second World War, and the kindness shown to the Jewish refugees. I sincerely hope that during your stay here, we will see the strengthening even further of our excellent relations."
 
Ambassador Shambos thanked the President for his warm welcome, and noted that she was greatly moved by the welcome and the ceremony.  She said, "It is a great honor for me to be here, our good relations truly stem from the heart. The recent visits by senior figures from Cyprus to Israel, and from Israel to Cyprus, is testament to the strength of this relationship. We believe that our history connects us, as two countries who in the past strove for many years for independence and statehood."
 
Ambassador of the United Kingdom H.E. Mr. David Quarrey presented his diplomatic credentials. President Rivlin said to him, "During your term here, we will celebrate the centenary of the Balfour Declaration, which perhaps marks the beginning of the diplomatic relations between Israel and Britain. I greatly appreciate the words of Prime Minister David Cameron on the need to fight against fundamentalism – terror is terror, wherever it occurs. We are aware of the importance you place in creating confidence building measures in order to bring an end to the conflict in our region. We must first of all understand, and then make our neighbors understand that we are not doomed, but destined to live together. During your term here, we are looking forward, with your abilities and great experience, to receiving your assistance in building this confidence. I want to also convey my warmest regards to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and extend to her an invitation to visit our region."
 
Ambassador Quarrey thanked the President, and stressed his desire to strengthen and further the bilateral ties between Israel and the UK.  He said, "A big part of my job over the next four years will be to develop the ties that we have in trade, investment, and in science and technology, which are of great benefit to both countries, and also is the best answer we have to those who call for boycotts of Israel."
 
He added, "As you say it is also vitally important that we work together against extremism in the region. David Cameron has spoken out very strongly on this, and the United Kingdom and Israel must be partners in this struggle against extremism.  I think also as you say, there is a great need for progress toward peace in the region - that need is very urgent, and we will do whatever is needed to support the difficult decisions required to achieve peace. I would also like to see more cultural collaboration between the UK and Israel and I hope to be able to give that a higher profile. Indeed, we are marking 400 years since the death of Shakespeare next year, and we look forward to marking that in Israel."
 
Ambassador of Germany H.E. Dr. Clemens von Goetze was next to present his credentials. President Rivlin welcomed him warmly and said, "Just recently, we celebrated fifty years of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries. Our joint history is a lesson to the whole world, we of course will never forget the past, but we work towards the future. We appreciate your commitment, especially noted by Chancellor Merkel, to us and to our country, and we appreciate the help of the German government regarding the security of Israel and all that you do when it comes to the war on terrorism. Our good relations are not just between governments or states, but between our peoples, and indeed, our good relations are such that we can even agree to disagree on issues."
 
Ambassador von Goetze thanked the President, and noted he was greatly moved to be here in Israel.  He said, "We cannot ignore that first and foremost, the relationship between our countries is based on a sense of guilt and responsibility for the Holocaust. We are enormously grateful that Israel has nevertheless, stretched out a hand of friendship towards Germany. Indeed we have achieved good relations, and because of the tragic history between us, the security of Israel is for us the most important thing in our bilateral relations. In order to ensure the future it is important that we add to and strengthen our economic cooperation in the fields of high-tech, technology and more. As you said, the essence of the success of our relationship is due to the relationship between peoples and not just governments, given which, it is important for us to strengthen the connections between the young people of both countries."
 
Ambassador of Rwanda H.E. Mr. Joseph Rutabana presented his credentials as the first ambassador of Rwanda to Israel. The President welcomed him and said, "I am delighted to welcome you here as the first ambassador of your country to Israel. We have excellent relations between our countries, and we see in Africa a promising future. There is no doubt that your arrival will add and strengthen our future cooperation."
 
The Ambassador thanked the President for his warm welcome and said, "It is a great honor for me to come to the holy land as the first ambassador of my country. We will be delighted to strengthen the cooperation between our countries, in my last visit I saw the extent to which Israel has developed and is developing and provides a wonderful example for my country."
 
The non-resident Ambassador of Seychelles to Israel, H.E. Mr. Winslow William Waven, presented his credentials to the President, who warmly welcomed him and said, "We are delighted to receive you here. We know of, and support you in your determined struggle against terrorism. We hope that in the not too distant future, you will have a permanent representation in Israel, which will greatly strengthen the mutual bond between our countries."
 
The Ambassador thanked the President for his words and said, "Thank you and your government for the warm hospitality I have received in Israel, and my arrival here is very much a testament to the desire on our behalf to strengthen the ties between our countries in a range of issues."