(Communicated by the Foreign Minister's Bureau)

 

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Avigdor Liberman met today (Wednesday 25 July 2012) in Brussels with Baroness Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

 

During their meeting, the two ministers discussed the Israel-European Union relationship and events in the Middle East.

 

EU High Representative Ashton expressed her condolences and deep sorrow for the attack against Israeli tourists in Bulgaria last week.

 

FM Liberman stated that up until the present, the peace agreements between Israel and its neighbors have not been agreements with countries and citizens but rather agreements between Israel and the rulers of those countries. These agreements did not facilitate reconciliation between the peoples, nor did they generate true peace based on sturdy foundations. In light of this, in the future, peace agreements should be signed between people rather than between rulers, and the agreements should earn the support of the public and of opinion makers alike. Agreements such as these will lead to true reconciliation through education for tolerance, respect and cooperation – and not to the continued hatred of Israel and the Jewish people.

 

FM Liberman drew HR Ashton’s attention to the resolution of the conference of the Tunisian ruling party, which stipulates the addition of a clause in the Tunisian constitution according to which any normalization with Israel will be considered a criminal offense. FM Liberman requested the intervention of the European Union on this issue.

 

FM Liberman told HR Ashton that everyone knows who and what the Hezbollah organization is, and all are aware of the criminal and terrorist activities it perpetrates. FM Liberman said that the European Union must include the organization in its list of terror organizations. As long as this is not done, the issue will have severe implications on the stability of the Middle East and on global security.