(Communicated by the President’s Spokesperson)

President Reuven Rivlin received, during a ceremony this morning (Monday 2 November 2015) at his residence, the diplomatic credentials of the new ambassadors to Israel from Slovakia, Sri Lanka, Norway, Ireland, and Sierra Leone.

Ambassador of Slovakia, H.E Mr. Peter Hulenyi, presented his credentials to the President who welcomed him and said, "Slovakia is one of Israel’s closest allies in Europe. On my visit to Bratislava as Speaker of the Knesset, I was greatly impressed by the strong connection between the Jewish community and the Jewish people, to Slovakia. I appreciate greatly your support in the international arena and especially your efforts to prevent Palestinian unilateral moves." The President concluded, "I hope you and your wife will feel at home here in Israel."

Ambassador Hulenyi thanked the President, and began in Hebrew to note, "It is a great honor for me to be here today." He continued, "Today is the 2nd November, both as the anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, and the day on which I present my credentials – is one of the most important days of my life. It is quite incredible to see what your country has achieved in such a short time."

He spoke of the cooperation and bilateral relations between the countries and said, "I see great potential in our economic cooperation. While we are both small countries, we are powers - you of innovation, and we of production in many fields."

The President responded by saying, "The great achievements of Slovakia in the last two decades are testament to the potential of our cooperation."

Ambassador of Sri Lanka, H.E Mr. Periyasamy Pillai Selvaraj presented his credentials to the President who congratulated him on his appointment and said, "There are great similarities between the way our countries are made up of many communities. We know very well how hard you have worked, and what you have achieved for the sake of your people and your nation, and we would be pleased to see the ties between us strengthen, and through cooperation, reach achievements of which we will both be proud."

Ambassador Selvaraj thanked the President and said, "From the moment I arrived in Israel, I felt at home. The connection between our peoples is very important, and we wish to widen our cooperation especially in the fields of tourism, agriculture, and industry. I wish to take this opportunity to thank you for the good relations between our peoples, and the express my hope that they will go from strength to strength in the future."

Ambassador of Norway, H.E Mr. Jon Hanssen-Bauer presented his credentials to the President.  President Rivlin welcomed him and said, "I know that you have much experience and understanding of this region, and the need to ensure the security of the citizens of Israel in order to bring an end to the conflict with the Palestinians. We want to live in peace, not just with a peace treaty."

The President went on to speak about the relations between the two countries, and said, "There is much potential for cooperation between our countries, especially in the fields of innovation and energy – where we can work to find solutions to benefit the whole world."

He added, "Today, the world is smaller than ever, and what happens in one region has an impact on the whole world. The situation the Middle East has resulted in hundreds of thousands of refugees, and the world must work together to find a solution to this human tragedy."

Ambassador Hanssen-Bauer thanked the President and said, "I want to convey the deep appreciation of King and Government of Norway. This year we mark 65 years of diplomatic relations between our two countries, of which we are very proud. Our cooperation has grown over the years, and this year alone there has been an increase of 20% in our investment in Israel, which is out of a faith in the strength of the Israeli economy. I see great importance in my role to increase and expand the relations between our countries."

The Ambassador added, "We are proud of the fact that we hosted the Oslo Accords, and are very aware of the difficulties since. We are here in order to assist in the reaching of an agreement which will bring peace and security to Israel. I want to express my deep appreciation for your personal efforts to strengthen Israel as a democratic and Jewish state, and to protect equal rights and opportunities for all the citizens of Israel. We recognize that the values upon which Israel was built, are the same values upon which Norway was built."

Ambassador of Ireland, H.E Ms. Alison Kelly, presented her credentials to the President who welcomed her warmly and said, "In many ways, Israel and Ireland are so similar. Ireland, like Israel, is a beautiful country, filled with a mix of tradition and faith. I want to express my high regard for the ongoing economic, cultural, and academic cooperation between our countries."

The President noted that the Ambassador had arrived during a very difficult period, and that stressed that Israel was committed to the status-quo on the Temple Mount, and said, "Israel has no war with Islam, and we have no intention to change the status-quo agreement on the Temple Mount – we have not, and will not change one letter of the agreement."

Ambassador Kelly thanked the President for his warm welcome and noted she was deeply honored to be representing Ireland in Israel. She spoke of the expansion in the bilateral relations between the two countries and said, "My team and I will continue to work to strengthen and expand the cooperation between our countries, especially in the fields of technology and medical advances, among others."

Lastly, Non-resident Ambassador of Sierra Leone, H.E Mr. Osman Keh Kamara presented his credentials to the President who welcomed him warmly and said, "I want to express my appreciation for the good relations between our countries, which we see expressed in the many citizens of Sierra Leone who participate in the Ministry of Foreign Affair's Mashav program."

Ambassador Kamara said, "Thank you for your warm words about my country. You have helped us immensely in our struggle against Ebola, and in the development of dialysis treatment. I want to express my deepest appreciation for your help. I will do all in my power to ensure that my time as Ambassador to Israel will serve to strengthen and further the ties and cooperation between our countries."