President Iohannis, welcomed by Israeli counterpart Rivlin

AGERPRES special correspondent Florentina Peia reports: President Klaus Iohannis was welcomed on Tuesday by his Israeli counterpart, Reuven Rivlin, at the official residence of the President of the State of Israel, Beit HaNassi in Jerusalem, on the occasion of the former's visit in Israel. Reuven Rivlin thanked Klaus Iohannis for this visit. "It's my pleasure. Thank you for such a welcome," Iohannis replied. The Israeli president conjured the close relations with Romania. We don't have to take the plane to get to Romania, we can swim there. It's not a long distance. It's not an effort to get to Romania. We can say that we are very close, not only in terms of history, but the nature of our people is similar, said Reuven Rivlin. He appreciated Romania's participation in the condemnation of the Holocaust. We fight not only against anti-Semitism, but against racism and I know the concern and that we share the same values (...) to educate. We cannot fight racism and hatred without cooperation and cooperation is very-very important, the president of the State of Israel showed. Prior to the meeting, the Romanian head of state wrote in the Book of Honor. The delegation accompanying President Iohannis includes the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu, as well as presidential advisers Sergiu Nistor, Andrei Muraru, Daniela Barsan, Delia Dinu and deputy Silviu Vexler. Also present is the Ambassador of Israel in Bucharest, David Saranga. President Iohannis's visit, on the occasion of the Fifth World Holocaust Forum, entitled 'Remembering the Holocaust: Fighting Anti-Semitism,' marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz and International Holocaust Remembrance Day, will end on Thursday. On Wednesday, President Iohannis will meet with the leader of the Blue & White Alliance in Israel, Binyamin (Benny) Gantz, and then attend a state dinner offered by the President of the State of Israel, Reuven Rivlin, in honour of the heads of delegations attending the forum. The Fifth World Holocaust Forum, organised by the World Holocaust Forum Foundation, in co-operation with the Holocaust Remembrance Center - Yad Vashem, is hosted by Jerusalem on Thursday under the auspices of Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, and will focus on strengthening the global commitment to the Holocaust remembrance and the global fight against anti-Semitism and racism. According to the Romanian Presidential Administration, the participation of President Klaus Iohannis in this international forum is part of a series of actions taken by Romania to strengthen Holocaust education, preserving the memory of the Holocaust, combating anti-Semitism, racism, xenophobia, and promoting the European values of tolerance as well as respect for fundamental rights and freedoms.AGERPRES(RO - editor: Georgiana Tanasescu; EN - author: Simona Iacob, editor: Maria Voican)