Visit to Israel of Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández 29 Oct 2015
Israeli Missions Around The World MFA Press Room 2015 Visit to Israel of Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández 29 Oct 2015

Visit to Israel of Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández

  • 10/29/2015
    •    
    President Hernández is the first graduate of MASHAV, Israel's Agency for International Development Cooperation, to become a head of state. Honduras is committed to Israel's security and supports its right to live securely and in peace.
  • icon_zoom.png
    PM Netanyahu with Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández PM Netanyahu with Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández Copyright: GPO/Kobi Gideon
     
     
    28-30 October 2015
    Joint Communique

    Israel and Honduras share friendship and mutual appreciation that are reflected in the close bilateral relations of the two states.

    President of Honduras Juan Orlando Hernández will be visiting Israel accompanied by a high-level delegation that includes the Honduras ministers of foreign affairs, defense, agriculture and national infrastructures, and the chief of staff of the Honduras armed forces. The visit testifies to the close relations between the two states and the importance accorded by Israel and Honduras to promoting and deepening their bilateral relations. President Hernández is a graduate of MASHAV, Israel's Agency for International Development Cooperation, the first MASHAV graduate to become a head of state.

    In the past, Honduras has proven its commitment to Israel's security and continues to support Israel's right to live securely and in peace with its neighbors. The president of Honduras has called for both sides to return to the negotiating table in the spirit of the "two states for two peoples" solution.

    Israel is following the efforts of the Honduras government to deal with the challenges confronting it and commends the government on its successes in combating violence, drug trafficking and organized crime, as well as the task force it has established, in cooperation with the Organization of American States (OAS), to fight against corruption and impunity and to contribute to strengthening the rule of law (MACCIH).

    Honduras, together with its neighbors, is promoting a regional agenda that comprises bilateral agreements and the Plan for the Alliance for Prosperity, as well as national economic projects such as a land bridge between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and the construction of logistical centers for the promotion of global trade.

    As a graduate of MASHAV, President Hernández noted the important of Israeli aid to Honduras' development through the training of Honduras citizens in MASHAV courses in Israel and in Honduras.

    Israel will continue to cooperate with Honduras, as it has over the years, in the fields of agriculture, education, health, science and technology, and water management, especially in light of the serious drought Honduras has been experiencing in the past year.

    A course in agricultural water management is taking place right now in Honduras, given by an Israeli expert in the field, and another delegation is expected to leave in the coming weeks for Tegucigalpa to share Israeli know-how in combating desertification and dealing with a shortage of water for agriculture and drinking.

    Agricultural cooperation with Honduras will focus on water management and irrigation, dairy cows, improved seeds and logistical aid for farmers. Israel will also share with Honduras the knowledge it has acquired in civilian security and cyber security.

    This visit by the president of Honduras is an important element in the upgrading of relations between the two states and symbolizes the friendship between the two peoples, who share common values based on democracy, human rights, respect for law, the desire for development and growth, and the aspiration to peace.

    Honduras FM Arturo Corrales and MASHAV Director Gil Haskel sign agreement at President's Residence
    Honduras  FM Arturo Corrales and MASHAV Director Gil Haskel sign agreement at President's Residence
    Copyright: GPO/Mark Neiman


     
  • <iframe width="463" height="300" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PFnUWuiWkbg?rel=0?wmode=transparent" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
  •  


    President Reuven Rivlin meets President of Honduras Juan Orlando Hernandez
    Two countries sign Declaration of Intent for cooperation in water, education, agriculture, medicine, and security

    (Communicated by the President's Spokesperson)

    President Reuven Rivlin met on Thursday morning (October 29) at his residence with the President of Honduras Juan Orlando Hernandez Alvarado, who was currently visiting Israel, accompanied by his government's Minister of Foreign Relations, Minster of Infrastructure and Energy, Minister of Defense Minister, and the Chief of Staff of the Honduran military.
     
    President Rivlin warmly welcomed the Honduran President and the delegation, and expressed his appreciation that the President had returned to Israel as head of state having been a participant in a Foreign Ministry Mashav volunteer program in Israel in the past. President Rivlin said, "I want to welcome you and your wife, on your arrival in Israel, together with your distinguished delegation. We are excited to host you here in Israel, and in our capital city of Jerusalem. I am pleased to host a head of state who has himself participated in the Mashav program of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, and has seen our daily lives in the country, which I am without doubt has impacted greatly your deep understanding of Israel. Meeting with those that have participated in the Mashav program fills me with pride, in the knowledge that Israel is fulfilling its role among the nations."
     
    President Rivlin concluded by reiterating his appreciation of the President's deep understanding of Israel, for his support for Israel in the international arena, and for the ongoing cooperation between the countries. He said, "We appreciate your efforts, and welcome you warmly to our capital city."
     
    President Hernandez thanked President Rivlin for his warm welcome and said, "It is an honor for me and my wife, and all the delegation to visit Israel. We bring a message from the people of Honduras to the people of Israel; we have supported you and will continue to support you, and your choices, as a state and as a people." The President of Honduras went on to state that the Mashav course in which he participated, and the knowledge which he gained from it, played a crucial part in his path toward a life of public service, and said that he hoped many more young people would be able to participate in such programs.
     
    He stressed that Israel's wealth of experience in the field of water conservation and agriculture was of great importance, and said, "Our country, in Central America, in the past years has been especially impacted by climate change. We are here in order to benefit from your experience, and we hope to receive your support on this issue." He added that he hoped to widen and deepen the cooperation between the two countries, and said, "The issue of water management in agriculture is among our highest priorities for our increasing cooperation, and I call on both the public and private sectors to invest in the agricultural areas across Honduras. We have the water, and we hope to learn from you how to manage it for effective irrigation."
     
    At the beginning of the meeting, Honduran Foreign Minister Arturo Corrales Alvarez, together with the Dep. Director General of Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and Head of Mashav, Ambassador Gil Haskel, signed a Declaration of Intent on development cooperation between the two countries with the assistance of the international development agency of the MFA, in the areas of water, agriculture, education, medicine, and regional security.



    Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández

    (Communicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser)
     
    Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Thursday, 29 October 2015) met with Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who is visiting Israel along with a delegation of senior ministers and military officers. The two discussed bilateral cooperation on a broad range of issues including security, cyber, technology, agriculture, and water recycling and desalination. The Prime Minister said that Israel is ready to cooperate with, and assist, the Honduran government in these areas and added that one of Israel's goals in the coming years is to develop new markets in Latin America.
     
    Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:
     
    "We are impressed by the fact that you brought an impressive delegation of your Foreign Minister, your Defense Minister, your Minister of Infrastructure, Agriculture, Chairman of your Joint Chiefs. This reflects a concrete friendship that is a friendship that is moving in many areas.
     
    I know that Israel is sending a team to work on your, helping you cope with and overcome your water problems. I think you came to the right place if you want to solve, help someone, someone help your, solve your water problems. And I think Israel can help and is eager to help in this and in many other areas.
     
    We welcome your friendship, welcome your, the expression of that friendship in international forums and I think we can do a great deal together, and in this respect I think that this visit is a milestone in our friendship and our general view of the importance of Latin America and Honduras's role in that region. "
     
    Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez:
     
    "We are here to reinforce and reaffirm the fact that Honduras is a friend of Israel and we will continue supporting you in terms of security and liberty.
     
    I would also like to say that Israel is a pioneer in the management of agriculture, as we spoke in previous occasions. We give great importance to water, wood and soil, and we know that we have come to the best place in order to learn from that. We are sure that after our visit, there will be a before and an after for us."