(Communicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser)
Prime Minister Netanyahu on Monday morning (5 November 2012) met with Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer. They
discussed Microsoft's commitment to Israel, its vast investments in the local
market and the impact it is having, driving economic growth through national
level activity and programs focused on innovation economy, employability,
education and more.
Prime Minister Netanyahu said, "The combination of the State of Israel and
Microsoft is natural since the Israeli high-tech industry is among the world's
leaders. Microsoft was wise enough to see its potential many years ago and to
benefit from the quality personnel in Israel. Our investment in high-tech
industries and in training people for high-tech will continue to succeed and
bear fruit. I believe that cooperation between the State of Israel and Microsoft
will continue for many years."
Microsoft CEO Ballmer said, "This is my fourth visit to Israel and I am
always excited and inspired by the sheer technological ingenuity of its people
and entrepreneurs, a key reason why it’s such an important market for
Microsoft. Since the early 90's we have made significant investments in
localizing products in Hebrew, providing support and investment for various
Israeli companies and partners and, of course, growing our strategic R&D
presence."