
Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday welcomed President of Paraguay Santiago Peña at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem.
Peña is in Israel for an official visit which will include the historic inauguration of the Paraguayan Embassy in Jerusalem.
President Herzog and First Lady Michal Herzog welcomed the President and First Lady of Paraguay in an official ceremony during which the two leaders and their delegations stood for the national anthems, before going on to hold a bilateral meeting.
Ahead of the meeting, President Herzog thanked President Peña for his nation’s firm support for Israel, and congratulated him on the opening of the embassy in Jerusalem.
"We are very honored to have you, your wife, and your delegation in Israel," Herzog began. "It means a lot to the people of Israel, the fact that you're coming here after a year when the Israeli public, the Israeli people, the Israeli nation has gone through a most challenging time, painful, agonizing. We lost sons and daughters. We have hostages in the dungeons of Gaza. We yearn. We operate. We call on the entire family of nations to do whatever it takes to bring them back home. But the friendship that you are radiating to the people of Israel, to the nation of Israel, to the entire vista of beautiful Israel, means the world to us. We know that Paraguay will always be with us."
He added, "We are very excited that you will inaugurate the Paraguayan Embassy in Jerusalem, our holy city, united city, the eternal capital of the state of Israel and the Jewish people. And we are also very much appreciative of the fact that together, we are fighting antisemitism, racism, xenophobia and all forms of hatred which are the worst disease of humankind. I hope your visit will bring a message of peace and a bright future, and I welcome your delegation. I hope that it will be a very successful visit in all fields that will enhance the relations between our nations."
Thanking Herzog, President Peña said: "This is a very large and diverse delegation, bringing people representing the people of Paraguay at Congress. I understand that this could be seen as a signal of support to Israel in this difficult moment. But believe me, Mr. President, this is something that we needed to do for ourselves. This is a moral obligation that the Paraguayan people have asked us to do, and we feel that we are bringing the heart and feeling of more than six million Paraguayans that they feel so close or attached to the people of Israel. So for us, this is really a tipping point in our own history."
He added, "We have developed this sense of hope and friendship and standing next to our friends, that's why for us, despite this being a signal of support to Israel, this is a testament of who we are. This is important for us coming here and opening the embassy as a symbol, because this symbolizes something that is much larger, which is our friendship and the faith that we have on a brighter future, and we all deserve to have a brighter future. This visit is very important for the Paraguayan people. I'm sure that many people from Israel, and outside of Israel are looking at this visit, I can assure you that all Paraguayans are following this visit, the same way, and with the same passion."