(Communicated by the President’s Spokesperson)
President Reuven Rivlin today (15 February 2017) spoke by telephone with his friend, President-elect of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and congratulated him on his election to the post to which he will be sworn in at the end of March.
“I am so pleased to congratulate you as president, and as a great friend of Israel. From the bottom of my heart, I congratulate you, and wish you much success. I thank you for all you have done in the past as Foreign Minister, and we look forward to working together once you take up your new role.”
President Rivlin invited the president-elect to visit Israel, and said, “I look forward to seeing you soon.”
President-elect Steinmeier said, “Thank you Mr. President, my dear friend and I am now happy to say, ‘my colleague’." He thanked President Rivlin for the invitation, and said he would be happy to come to Israel at the first possible opportunity. “Israel is close to my heart, and I have many friends there," he said, and added, “I think I have been fortunate to visit Israel more than 25 times; I have stopped counting."