Israeli President Rivlin Arrives Feb 20 For Official Visit To Fiji
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin arrives in Fiji on Thursday, February 20, on his first official visit to the Pacific.
He will be the first high-level Israeli official to visit Fiji.
He arrives in Fiji on February 20 before travelling to Australia the following day.
Pacific Island Adviser at the Embassy of Israel in Canberra, Sara Sofer, confirmed the planned visit yesterday.
In Fiji, President Rivlin is expected to meet other Pacific island leaders while here.
“Because it is a very short visit,
President Rivlin will be meeting Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama and other leaders,” Ms Sofer said.
Bilateral meetings between Israel and other Pacific island countries are expected to take place, as well. “We are bringing three doctors who specialise in aid during crisis so we are hoping that those in the same field will be available for discussions,” Ms Sofer said.
President Rivlin was elected as the 10th President of Israel in 2014. He succeeded Shimon Peres. Early in his career President Rivlin served in the Intelligence Corps of the Israel Defence Forces. During the Six-Day-War he fought with the Jerusalem Brigade as an intelligence officer.
He later studied law at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem before becoming a politician.
In 2017, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was supposed to visit Fiji.
The trip was cancelled with officials saying that it was too complicated from a security point of view. However, in December 2018, Mr Netanyahu met with Mr Bainimarama at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem.
The two discussed the strengthening of bilateral relations and areas where it was possible to expand cooperation.