President Rivlin meets with German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Berlin. Rivlin thanks Steinmeier for “his commitment to further deepening relations between the countries” and Germany’s commitment to Israel’s security.
He calls the ICC probe of Israel a “scandalous” decision and thanks Germany for opposing the court probe.
On Iran, Rivlin says it was using “nuclear blackmail” to achieve a removal of sanctions.
Steinmeier congratulates Israel on “Israel’s vaccination drive that has been seen here in Germany with great appreciation and respect, not only because of its speed but also because of the efficiency of the process.” He says Germany and others “can learn a great deal from it.”
President Reuven Rivlin (left) with German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Berlin, March 16, 2021 (Amos Ben Gershom/GPO)
He calls Jerusalem’s normalization deals with Arab countries “nothing less than historic.”
Steinmeier says the Trump administration’s policies toward Iran “did not, we believe, support positive developments and we hope that we can bring about change in the future with the new administration and our European neighbors.”
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