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Secretary General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres began his official visit to Israel by visiting the grave of the late Ninth President Shimon Peres. There, he met with Chemi Peres, son of the late President. This is Guterres' first official visit to Israel since taking office this past January.

Guterres, who was a close friend of the late Ninth President, with whom he met many times, asked to begin his trip to Israel with a visit to the grave of Shimon Peres and brought a special stone with him to lay on the grave on Mount Hertzl. "Shimon Peres was a close friend, one of the most important leaders in the world, and I had the honor of getting to know him personally. We spent many hours together, and I recall one meeting in particular - when we met with Nelson Mandela in Lisbon. For me it was a meeting with two great figures, Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, who were active all their lives in promoting peace in the world."

Chemi Peres, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation, greeted Guterres and said: "I am sorry that my father is not here to welcome you on your first official visit to Israel since you assumed the post of Secretary General of the United Nations. He saw you as a close friend. My father felt that the work of the United Nations was deeply important, and he worked hard to promote the State of Israel as a democratic and peace-loving country. It was very important for him to preserve the country that he loved so much."

During his visit to Israel, the Secretary General of the UN will meet with President Reuven (Ruby) Rivlin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Antonio Guterres will then travel to Ramallah, where he will meet with the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, and other senior figures. His official visit will conclude at The Museum of the Jewish People at Beit Hatfutsot, where he is expected to speak.