​(Communicated by the President's Spokesperson)
 
President Reuven Rivlin met at his residence today (Monday, 4 April 2016) with Foreign Minister of the Czech Republic Lubomír Zaorálek who is visiting Israel. The two spoke at length about the strengthening of cooperation between the two countries in the fields of security, economy, and trade. President Rivlin welcomed the Foreign Minister and his delegation and asked he convey his warm regards to the Czech President and Prime Minister, and stated that he fondly remembered his visit to the Czech Republic last year, and the hospitable welcome he had received.
 
"Our friendship is strong" said President Rivlin before going on to speak about the situation in Syria, "The current chaos, the crisis in Syria is a problem for all of Europe." He went on to state that the presence of millions of refugees in Greece, Lebanon, and Jordan posed a very serious challenge. "The entire world is fighting fundamentalism, based on IS, which has become a phenomena across the globe."
 
The President spoke of the need for direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, and said that he hoped the Palestinians engage in direct talks rather than turning to international organizations. He stressed, "Without confidence between the two sides, there cannot be negotiations, and we will not find a solution." He added, "I listened to what Chairman of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas said recently on television. I must say that it was a little more promising. He said that he believes there is a need to end all forms of terror, and find a way to return to the negotiations. But as long as he believes in fundamentalism or any thoughts such as those of Hamas, that there is no way to accept Israel, or that any ceasefire would just be temporary that would not give up on the aspiration to destroy Israel, then this will get us nowhere."
 
The President stressed that if Mahmoud Abbas did intend to work for an end to terrorism, and if he showed a willingness to return to direct negotiations, then a way should be found to do this. "We must find a way to build confidence between us," said the President, "I will meet him with the understanding of the Israeli Government of course."
 
Foreign Minister Zaorálek thanked the President for his words, and said he was glad to be visiting Israel again, he said, "The relationship between the Czech Republic and Israel is developing in a very positive way. We appreciate your visit to our country and its positive outcomes, and are in preparation for the upcoming G2G meeting in Prague." He noted that cooperation between the two countries crossed many fields, including economy, energy, and also healthcare. He noted that he was keen to see Israeli guidance and assistance in the raining of Czech medical professionals, which he noted was for the benefit of all the Czech people.
 
Foreign Minister Zaorálek added he was pleased to see the increase in the number of Israeli visitors to his country, and noted this greatly helped the strengthening the ties between the two peoples alongside those between the two governments.