Rivlin says he ‘shares pain’ of Greek FM over debt crisis

President Reuven Rivlin expressed his sympathies to visiting Greek Foreign Minister Nikolaos Kotzias on Tuesday, saying that he “shares the pain” of the Greek people as the country plummets into an unprecedented financial crisis.

Kotzias’s visit to the Jewish state had an “economic emphasis,” a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem said. The Greek politician had met earlier with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and was to meet Palestinian Authority officials Wednesday.

“The Israeli people see what is happening in Greece and we share in your pain. We hope that a solution is found that is acceptable to all sides,” Rivlin said.

Noting Israel’s deep appreciation for the assistance received during a deadly fire in the Carmel region in 2010, Rivlin said that “all humanity share a common future and we must work to try and shape it together. This is our duty and it is our responsibility to our children and grandchildren.”

“What happens in one region affects people across the world,” he said.

In response, Kotzias highlighted the historical significance shared by both Greece and Israel as forerunners of Western civilization, along with their geographic proximity as “two peoples living in this part of the world for many thousands of years.”

“The whole of Western culture is based on our culture, history and traditions – only sometimes they forget this. I think we not only have a common past, but we will have a common future, which is in the interest of our peoples,” Kotzias said.

Netanyahu pledged Monday to help Greece’s floundering economy and said the Jewish state is “committed to help” the financially embattled nation “in any way.”

Israel and Greece have recently sought to strengthen ties in a bid to counterbalance Turkey’s influence in the region. The countries take part in a yearly military drill with the US, in a sign of increasingly warm relations.

Kotzias announced last month, during a meeting with PA Foreign Affairs Minister Riyad al-Maliki, that he had instructed his ministry to refer to the area under the PA as “Palestine.”

Israel’s National Economic Council chief Eugene Kandel on Sunday briefed government ministers on the economic crisis in Greece, saying Israel had enacted policies allowing it to avoid Greece’s fate. Kandel was also reportedly to meet with Kotzias during his visit.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.