(Communicated by the MFA Spokesperson)
Minister of Foreign Affairs Yair Lapid met today (Monday, 18 October 2021) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem with Swedish Minister of Foreign Ann Linde. Following is FM Lapid’s statement:
“Madam Foreign Minister, Mr. Ambassador, Friends,
“In my parents' house there is a wooden box in which my late father kept some souvenirs that survived the Holocaust. There is a yellow badge with the letter J, Jude - Jew, some photographs and letters that somehow survived the war.
“And there's a ‘Wallenberg passport,’ a document laden with seals and signatures, designed to hide the fact that Raoul Wallenberg had virtually no authority to grant it to my father.
“But he did. He gave Swedish immunity to my father and grandmother, took them under his wing, and saved their lives. If not for one brave Swedish diplomat, Madam Foreign Minister, I would not be standing here today.
“Sweden and Israel have a deep and long-standing friendship, with extensive trade and cultural ties. There are also quite a few arguments. In recent years, these arguments have caused us to drift apart. Today we are changing that.
“In the conversations between us, Madam Foreign Minister, we agreed that friends do not have to agree on everything. In my opinion, friendship is also the ability to listen to criticism, to hear different opinions.
“You told me, and I appreciate it, that behind the criticism Sweden has a deep and public commitment to Israel’s security, and to the right of the Jews to establish a state for themselves in their historical homeland.
“Last week you expressed this commitment at the Malmö International Forum on Holocaust Remembrance and Combating Antisemitism. We are very appreciative of this conference, and of your desire to put the fight against antisemitism on the table in your country and throughout Europe.
“The ties between us are not limited to the past, or to politics. We have a common desire to develop and advance the economic and social potential between our countries. To grow and cultivate the connections in technology and trade, culture and tourism.
“I Thank you for you visit, Madam Foreign Minister, and I believe that in the wake of the new page we are opening here today will come a whole book of friendship and collaboration.
“Thank you.”