(Communicated by the President's Spokesperson)

President Reuven and First Lady Nechama Rivlin, this morning (Monday, 27 October 2014), at the President’s Residence, hosted participants in the 2nd Global Conference of Honorary Consuls to Israel, attended by Honorary Consuls from 44 countries from across Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia.

The President thanked the Honorary Consuls for representing Israel around the globe. He told the participants, "In each of your countries, there are people who have made it their number one priority to preach hatred of Israel. They have decided that of all the problems in the world, the number one threat to humanity is the Jewish state. We must show the world that Israel is a modern country that seeks peace with its neighbors, and gives so much to the world in the fields of medicine, environment, technology, literature and more."
 
President Rivlin went on to note that yesterday marked the 20th anniversary of the signing of the peace treaty with Jordan and said, "This is an agreement of strategic importance to both sides - it is not only a peace treaty between two states, but between two peoples. The relationship between the State of Israel and Jordan is capable of meeting all the challenges placed before it, thanks to the strong and special bond between our countries. Jordan plays a key role in the region, and its stability is crucially important. This is something the Western countries should also make a priority."
 
The President concluded, "Looking to the future, I am confident that under the responsible leadership of King Abdullah, Jordan will continue to play a central role in our region, and that the good relations between our two countries will go from strength to strength. King Abdullah is a brave man who puts peace in the region at the top of his agenda."