President Reuven Rivlin today (Thursday, 24 February 2021), received diplomatic credentials from the new ambassadors of Ukraine, Brazil, Portugal, the Philippines, the Dominican Republic and Ecuador to Israel as they begin their postings, in an official ceremony at the President’s Residence. Each ambassador was welcomed with the playing of their national anthem by the Israel Police Band and then reviewed an IDF honor guard, smaller in size than normal because of the coronavirus restrictions. After presenting their letters of credence, the ambassadors signed the President’s Residence guest book.

 

First to present his credentials to the president was Ambassador Yevgen Korniychuk of Ukraine. The president welcomed him to Israel and noted the strong relations between the countries. He spoke about the common fight against antisemitism, saying “We must all join together to counter rising antisemitism. We are concerned about the antisemitic incidents that take place from time to time in Ukraine, and thank you for fighting its rise.” The president added that he hoped that Ukraine would also officially adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism. The ambassador thanked the president and said, “We will work to preserve the Jewish history of our country and to prevent antisemitism and racism.”

 

Ambassador Gerson Menandro Garcia De Freitas of Brazil then presented his letters of credence to the president. “To us Israelis, Brazil is a legend,” said the president, “with its beautiful landscapes, culture and, of course, football” He noted the importance of Brazil’s support of Israel in the international arena, and the excellent cooperation between the countries. The president noted Israel’s commitment to defend itself against threats to its security, and that the International Criminal Court in The Hague has turned into a political body, rather than fulfilling its original aim of prosecuting war crimes and crimes against humanity. Ambassador De Freitas thanked the president and said that he would do all he can to strengthen the relations between the countries.

 

The next to be received by the president was the ambassador of Portugal, Jorge Tito De Vasconcelos Nogueira Dias Cabral. The president congratulated Portugal on assuming the presidency of the European Council, and said “I hope that together we can even more important and leading work between Israel and the EU, and that it must not be conditioned on political matters,” and asked to send his best wishes to the president of Portugal on his re-election.

 

Ambassador Macairog S. Alberto of the Philippines then presented his credentials to the president. They talked about the mutual desire to extend the areas of cooperation between the two countries in the fields of security, trade, innovation and agriculture, among others.

 

President Rivlin then received letters of credence from the Ambassador of the Dominican Republic, Ernesto Torres Pereyra. The president welcomed the ambassador and invited President Abinader of the Dominican Republic to visit Israel, noting his hope that the embassy of the Dominican Republic would return to Jerusalem soon.

 

Finally, Ambassador Mireya Del Carmen Muñoz Mera of Ecuador, accompanied by her mother, presented her credentials. The president spoke about boycotts as a tool of international diplomacy, saying “There are disagreements even between friends. Argument and discussion are part of the links between us, but boycotts are not a legitimate way of working.” The president expressed his appreciation for the bravery of Ecuador’s consul in Stockholm during the Holocaust, who was recognized as Righteous Among the Nations, saying what he did would never be forgotten. The Ecuadorean ambassador thanked the president for his welcome and said that this is a time when the world is conscious of the need for cooperation and solidarity, as we all deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. She noted her country’s valuable and important cooperation with Israel and said she hoped to extend and deepen these links.