​(Communicated by the President's Spokesperson)
 
President Reuven Rivlin this morning (Tuesday, 13 September 2016) met at his residence with Prime Minister Xavier Bettel of Luxembourg.

The President welcomed the Prime Minister and expressed Israel's appreciation to the Prime Minister for his country's concern for the stability and future of Israel and the region.

President Rivlin spoke about Israel's commitment to peace and stressed the importance of negotiations and the need for the two sides to not only speak but to listen to one another. He added that the Middle East and the whole world faced significant challenges of terrorism, and reiterated the need for the whole free world to stand up to this threat.

The Prime Minister thanked the President for his warm welcome, and noted that this was the first visit by a Prime Minister of Luxembourg and that this was well overdue.

He expressed his appreciation for Israel, and the importance of the relationship between the two countries. The Prime Minister noted he was pleased by the decision taken by his government regarding Holocaust recognition and remembrance. The two went on to hold a wide ranging discussion addressing regional and global issues.