(Communicated by the President's Spokesperson)

President Reuven Rivlin, this morning (Thursday 26 November 2015), at the President's Residence in Jerusalem, held a working meeting with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who is visiting Israel for the first time. Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias also attended the meeting.
 
President Rivlin welcomed Greek Prime Minister Tsipras to Israel and stressed that Greece was the birthplace and cradle and of democracy. He referred to the way in which Greek Prime Minister Tsipras has led his country through a difficult period and said, "Every child in the world knows that democracy originated in Greece. You have become a symbol and an example of how a democratic leader operates." The President welcomed his guest again, extended his hand and said, "I welcome you and shake your hand as a true democrat."
 
Greek Prime Minister Tsipras thanked President Rivlin for the warm welcome and kind words and stressed that he was pleased to have the opportunity to visit Israel, the state of the Jewish people, and said, "Our peoples are very ancient. Over the thousands of years that we have lived together, an important and ancient Jewish community has flourished in Greece. The Greek people opposed the Nazi regime and after World War II as well the Greek people opposed anti-Semitism and xenophobia. We are in a difficult period in Europe with the recent wave of terrorism. Here in Jerusalem we will send a message to the entire world that through understanding and by working together it is possible to defeat these phenomena."
 
In his response, President Rivlin referred to Greek Prime Minister Tsipras' remarks and emphasized the need to work together in fighting Daesh and fundamentalist Islam which threaten the entire free world. "We, in Israel and Greece, are the children of ancient peoples and friends in the family of nations in the free world. In the free and democratic worlds we will not tolerate extremism of any kind; these endanger the entire world."