Lapid congratulates Rishi Sunak: ‘Israel and the UK are close allies’
Israeli PM says the two countries share mutual interests as well as an ‘unwavering’ commitment to democratic values, looks forward to future cooperation
Prime Minister Yair Lapid congratulated Rishi Sunak on becoming Britain’s new premier Tuesday, saying he looks forward to cooperation between the two countries on the basis of shared interests and democratic values.
Sunak became Britain’s third prime minister this year and the first person of color to hold the top job, receiving a flurry of welcome messages from around the world.
“Israel and the United Kingdom are close allies. We share not only mutual interests, but an unwavering commitment to democratic values,” Lapid wrote on Twitter.
“I look forward to working together to shape a stronger, safer future for both our countries and peoples.”
At 42, Sunak is the youngest British leader in more than 200 years. He is considered a strong supporter of Israel and a friend of the UK’s Jewish community.
At a Conservative Friends of Israel event in August, Sunak declared Jerusalem is “indisputably the historic capital” of Israel and said there was a “very strong case” for moving the UK embassy from its current location in Tel Aviv.
Related: New British PM has called Jerusalem Israel’s ‘historic capital,’ vowed to fight BDS
“It’s something I’d like to do,” he said.
But Sunak, a former Treasury chief, also acknowledged “sensitivities” over the issue. “If it was that easy, it would have been done by now,” he said.
Congratulations on Sunak’s rise to the prime minister’s office also came from other world leaders.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on social media that he hoped Sunak would be able “to successfully overcome all the challenges facing British society and the whole world today.”
He added that he was “ready to continue strengthening the Ukrainian-British strategic partnership,” following months with London as one of Kyiv’s most vocal supporters against Russia’s February invasion.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that in Moscow, “we do not see any preconditions, grounds, or hope that in the foreseeable future there will be any positive changes” in the relationship between the United Kingdom and Russia.
France’s Emmanuel Macron wrote tweeted that “together we will continue working to tackle the challenges of the moment, including the war in Ukraine and its many consequences for Europe and the world.”
From Italy, newly installed Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said that she was “eager to cooperate with (Sunak) and his cabinet on the common challenges, standing for our shared values of freedom and democracy.”
Maros Sefcovic, the European Union’s pointman on post-Brexit ties with Britain, said that “a positive EU-UK relationship is of strategic importance.”
He vowed to work towards “a partnership in full respect of our agreements” — including the contentious issue of British province Northern Ireland’s land border with EU-member Ireland.
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said that with Sunak “as the first Prime Minister of British-Asian descent and the youngest in about 200 years, these milestones will be especially inspiring for young people” in the Commonwealth, the association of mostly former British colonies.
“We seek to deepen our partnership with Britain” to address challenges including terrorism, food insecurity, energy and climate change, Buhari added.
Even ahead of Sunak’s appointment as prime minister by King Charles III — the monarch’s first new government chief since taking over from his mother Elizabeth II — US President Joe Biden said it was “groundbreaking” that Britain would be led by a person with Indian heritage.
“It’s pretty astounding, a groundbreaking milestone and it matters,” Biden said at a White House celebration of the Indian Diwali festival celebrated on Monday.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not wait for Sunak to be officially appointed, sending congratulations via Twitter on Monday.
“As you become UK PM, I look forward to working closely together on global issues,” Modi wrote.
“Special Diwali wishes to the ‘living bridge’ of UK Indians, as we transform our historic ties into a modern partnership,” he added.
Sunak is married to an Indian, Akshata Murty, the daughter of the co-founder of IT giant Infosys.
He is expected to immediately begin appointing a Cabinet and getting to grips with an economy sliding toward recession.
