Lithuanian Prime Minister Butkevicius visits Israel
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Lithuanian PM Butkevicius visits Israel

  •   Meets with PM Netanyahu and President Rivlin
  • 9/8/2015
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    ​PM Netanyahu: "The history of the relationship between the people of Lithuania and the Jewish people dates back a thousand years. We have today a thriving relationship in the field of economy, the field of technology, the field of culture."​​
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    PM Netanyahu meets with Lithuanian PM Algirdas Butkevicius PM Netanyahu meets with Lithuanian PM Algirdas Butkevicius Copyright: GPO/Kobi Gideon
     
     
    Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Tuesday, 8 September 2015) met with Lithuanian Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevicius and told him at the start of their meeting:
     
    "Prime Minister, it's good to see you in Jerusalem. Welcome. I think it's safe to say that we have an extraordinary history together and I think a very bright future together. 
     
    The history of the relationship between the people of Lithuania and the Jewish people dates back a thousand years. My own family hails from Lithuania. My grandfather was born in Lithuania. The Jewish community in Lithuania and especially around Vilnius had remarkable achievements, spectacular intellectual achievements, but of course we also experienced the horrors of the Holocaust and I think it's very important to preserve that memory and that heritage so that we may learn the lessons of the past and avoid repeating them in the future. 
     
    We have today a thriving relationship. We're both thriving democracies, not without challenges but with great successes. We have exchanges between us that are in the field of economy, the field of technology, the field of culture. I think we can do a great deal more. We are forging new paths in many technological areas and most especially in cyber security. 
     
    Last year the global investments in cyber security in Israel were 10% of total worldwide investments. This year they're 20%. It's doubled in one year, and every day, this morning too, we learn about new investments. So Israel is a world leader in cyber security, and I believe you also have had some experience with that. 
     
    I believe that we have much to profit by cooperating with one another. I look forward to our conversations to that effect and I welcome you in a great spirit of friendship to Jerusalem. Welcome." 


    President Rivlin held a working meeting with Prime Minister of Lithuania Algridas Butkevicius. The two discussed the good relations between the two counties and the mutual decision to strengthen and increase cooperation. They also spoke about the importance that Lithuania placed on Holocaust remembrance and the education of tolerance, alongside the firm stance against anti-Semitism.

    The President welcomed the Prime Minister warmly, and explained to him of his family's roots in Lithuania, and that he was a descendant of the great Lithuanian Jewish scholar, the Vilna Gaon. He said, “The relationships between our two peoples, and between our two governments, are very strong. As Speaker of the Knesset I visited Lithuania, and had the opportunity to speak in your parliament, and it was clear to me as it is today that we share strong understandings. Our cooperation on education is especially of note. We do not forget history, but together we can work for a better present and more prosperous future."

     
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