President of Israel Isaac Herzog started an official visit to Ukraine.
“I just flew to Kyiv to start an official visit. The Jewish people here have a glorious past, but also a difficult and painful history. Tomorrow I will take part in the important opening ceremony of the Holocaust Remembrance Center in Kyiv, dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Babyn Yar tragedy,” Herzog said on Twitter on Tuesday.
The official welcoming ceremony was held in Kyiv between President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and President of Israel Isaac Herzog. Statements of the presidents of Ukraine and Israel for media representatives are expected.
Michael Malchieli, the Co-Chair of the Group for Interparliamentary Relations of the Knesset of Israel with the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, and representatives of the Embassy of Israel, Knesset Member Moshe Arbel and Moshe Reuven Asman, the Chief rabbi of Ukraine, made a working visit to International European University.
During the meeting, participants signed an agreement on joint activities in different areas.
The agreement is aimed at regulating the current position between the University and partners, approving mutual cooperation conditions in the improvement of the educational activities, establishing communications between Israel and Ukraine to exchange cultural and training experience.
“Thank you for inviting me and showing your university. It seems to me that I’ve joined the political activity mistakenly. I’ve been always dreaming about education rather than politics, but the Supreme Being has brought me to the political sector. I don’t regret and try to do good deeds, but I’m extremely happy to get an opportunity to focus on education.
To my mind, your new education institution, which has succeeded within a short time, is similar to a share that initially costs little but suddenly raises and becomes quite expensive and valuable. I believe that, together with such a unique and professional team, we’ll be able to implement a lot of great things. Meanwhile, I would like to invite you to our Ministry of Education. I will personally organize this meeting. I’m sure that this collaborative work will enhance our friendship,” Mr. Malchieli said.
At the grand meeting, Michael Malchieli received the acknowledgement for assistance in higher education development, training of students with an active life attitude and fruitful cooperation with the University.
Joint efforts of the parties will encourage the efficient growth of cultural and scientific relations between Ukraine and Israel within the Program of cooperation in education, culture, youth and sports between the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the Government of the State of Israel in 2019-2022.
Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and Israeli President Isaac Herzog met in Kyiv to discuss cooperation in trade, science and technology, and medicine, the Ukrainian government’s press service said on Tuesday.
Shmyhal told Herzog of the projects to create and upgrade irrigation systems in southern Ukraine and invited Israeli companies to take part in their implementation, the service said.
Science and technology is one of the promising areas of cooperation between the two countries, the prime minister said.
Also, Ukraine is keen on sharing experience and to study the Israeli government’s support for the development of new technologies, commercialization of scientific research, creation of startups, and encouragement of investment in scientific research, he said.
“We are also interested in broadening our cooperation on information and latest technologies and implementing joint promising projects in this sphere,” Shmyhal said.
With regard to medical and pharmaceutical cooperation, he said: “Given the significant experience gained by Israel in this sphere, Ukraine is interested in sharing information on psychological rehabilitation of war veterans and combatants, introducing cooperation in the sphere of providing the disabled with rehabilitation services.”
For his part, Herzog reaffirmed his readiness to cooperate on new technologies, adding that the new government of Israel is ready to intensify cooperation with Ukraine in a variety of sectors, the press service said.
Ukraine is waiting for the arrival of investors from Israel and guarantees the protection of their investments, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
“Ukraine is waiting for Israeli investors, and the government and I personally guarantee the protection of all their investments. In addition, Ukraine is interested in studying and using Israel’s significant experience in the field of innovation,” Zelensky said during joint statements with Israeli President Isaac Herzog to the media.
He added that Israeli campaigns, in turn, can use Ukraine’s colossal potential as a new European technological hub.
Zelensky noted that today the volume of direct Israeli investments in Ukraine does not meet the potential of the two countries.
“New technologies, innovations, cybersecurity, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, space programs, banking, finance, construction, agriculture are just some promising areas for the development of investment cooperation between Ukraine and Israel,” the President of Ukraine said.
Zelensky also said that the Free Trade Agreement between Ukraine and Israel opens up new opportunities for strengthening bilateral economic interaction. The countries intend to increase trade volumes to the level that had been before the spread of COVID-19.
In connection with the escalation of the Israel-Palestine confrontation, which is accompanied by rocket and mortar shelling of settlements and riots in many cities of Israel, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine strongly recommends that Ukrainian citizens refrain from traveling to Israel and Palestine.
“Those citizens who are on the territory of Israel and Palestine should observe the rules of personal safety, carefully monitor messages and explanations of local competent authorities and their representatives, and strictly follow their instructions,” the press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said.
It is noted that in case of an emergency or other circumstances that require an immediate consular response, one must contact the Ukrainian Embassy in the State of Israel (emergency phone number: 972 546 676 782, e-mail: emb_il@mfa.gov.ua), the diplomatic institution of Ukraine in Palestine (emergency phone number: 972 59 969 95 61, e-mail: pm_ps@mfa.gov.ua) or the round-the-clock hotline of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine by phone: 38 044 238 16 57, email: cons_or@mfa.gov.ua.
The Foreign Ministry recalled that the decision of the Israeli government to ban foreigners from entering the country from Ukraine’s territory, including citizens of Ukraine in the context of the current epidemiological situation, remains in force.
Ukraine and Israel have agreed on a special commercial flight Kyiv-Tel Aviv-Kyiv in early March to return Ukrainians home, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Oleh Nikolenko has said.
“Ukraine and Israel have agreed on a special commercial flight Kyiv-Tel Aviv-Kyiv at the beginning of March to return Ukrainians home. The Ukrainian Embassy in Israel will additionally inform on the exact date and conditions for purchasing a ticket. Israel’s borders for regular flights remain closed,” he wrote on Twitter on Friday.
