Six ambassadors present credentials
During the summer season each year, there are significant changes on the diplomatic circuit, as heads of foreign missions complete their tenure and new ambassadors take over.
Six new ambassadors on Tuesday presented their credentials to President Isaac Herzog in a series of separate red-carpet ceremonies. They were: Menik Hitihamy Mudiyanselage Nimal Bandara of Sri Lanka; Maria Concepción Barahona Páez of Ecuador; Ava Atzum Arévalo Tribouillier de Moscoso of Guatemala; Tesfaye Yetayeh Anteneh of Ethiopia; Manuel Etchevarren Aguerre of Uruguay; and Rubeiro da Silva Barros of Portugal, who arrived in Israel in time to host his country’s Independence Day reception in mid June.
In his conversation with the Sri Lankan ambassador, Herzog recalled that when his late father, Chaim Herzog, visited Sri Lanka as Israel’s sixth president, he helped to move relations between the two countries forward.
Herzog also noted that Sri Lanka had been the first country to be headed by a woman prime minister. Sirimavo Bandaranaike had been elected in 1960, when her country was still called Ceylon.
Sri Lanka was last year subjected to mass protests against the government. “People don’t understand that demonstrations are part of democracy,” said Herzog, telling the ambassador: “Your democracy is stable and strong.”
In welcoming the ambassador of Ecuador, Herzog commented that the country also has a robust democracy. Among the issues discussed were marketing of tourism and Ecuador’s amazing and varied nature reserves, and a legendary connection with the Lost Tribe of Reuven.
He also spoke to her and to the ambassador of Uruguay about the necessity of introducing direct flights between Israel and South American countries.
As far as tourism is concerned,
the ambassador was cautious in listing the attractions of her own country. “I don’t want to compare to Israel,” she said. To which Herzog retorted: “Nothing compares to Israel.”
No Israeli statesman or prime minister can be objective about Guatemala, whose then-ambassador to the United Nations, Jorge Garcia Granados, played a vital role in lobbying for the UN vote that set the ball rolling for Israel’s establishment. Herzog said that his uncle, Abba Eban, had worked closely with Granados, who later became Guatemala’s first ambassador to Israel. Guatemala, which was the second nation to enter into diplomatic relations with Israel after the United States, was the first to open an embassy in Jerusalem.
The Ethiopian ambassador spoke of the historic bond between Israel and Ethiopia that dates back to the visit by the Queen of Sheba. He said he is keen to learn about Israel’s technology and water management that would be of help to his country in the future.
Uruguay’s ambassador is on a second stint in Israel, where he was previously deputy head of mission in 1990 and said that relations with Israel are very important.
Uruguay is facing certain water challenges, which Herzog said Israel would be happy to help overcome.
Although the Portuguese Parliament had honored Israel on its 75th anniversary of independence, Herzog could not refrain from relating to the Inquisition, a factor that the ambassador made no attempt to whitewash, but said that after introducing a law that expelled the Jews, in modern times a law had been passed to invite them back.
“We care about the Jewish community,” said Herzog, noting although the Jewish community of Portugal is small, the Israeli community in Portugal is growing. He was particularly interested in the Jewish community of Porto, and hopes to visit there with his wife, who speaks Portuguese fluently.