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Your Excellency, Prime Minister of Estonia, Mr. Juhan Parts,
I welcome you and the members of your delegation to Jerusalem, the capital of the Jewish people and united capital of the State of Israel. This is the Prime Minister of Estonia’s first visit to Israel, and I would like to express my appreciation of this, and of the intentions he declared through his visit to advance the relations between our countries.
Mr. Prime Minister,
Since Estonia declared its independence in 1991, the relations between our countries have steadily developed. Israel has a genuine intention to deepen these relations in various bilateral fields. Estonia is one of the ten countries which have recently joined the European Union. We wish you good luck and a successful absorption into the European Union, and hope that the accession of these new countries will positively affect Europe’s position, and will result in a more balanced approach by the European Union towards Israel. This is important precisely now, in light of increasing anti-Semitic expressions in Europe.
The Jewish people and the State of Israel will never forget the fate of the approximately 2,000 Estonian Jews, who were murdered in the Holocaust by the Nazis and their collaborators, and the thousands of others who were brought to Estonia from neighboring countries and were murdered on its soil. The remains of this community who live in Israel and Estonia today constitute a bridge for promoting relations between our countries.
I wish to express my appreciation for the activities of the Estonian Government, and for its sensitivity of issues relating to Judaism and Israel. It is worth mentioning the Resolution of the Estonian Government to hold a Holocaust Memorial Day on the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz Death Camp, as well as the Estonian support of the UN Assembly Resolution regarding religious intolerance, which includes a condemnation of anti-Semitism.
Overcoming anti-Semitism is important, not only to us, but to all nations of the free world.
Mr. Prime Minister,
The relations between our countries hold great potential, and we attribute great importance to advancing them. I have no doubt that your visit to Israel will contribute to promoting and cementing these ties. We are interested in this, and I intend to invest efforts to achieve this goal.
Mr. Prime Minister,
I wish you a successful and fruitful stay in our country. I am confident that you will feel that you are among friends.
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