President Reuven Rivlin this morning (Thursday) met at his residence with the President of Honduras Juan Orlando Hernandez Alvarado, who is currently visiting Israel, accompanied by his government's Minister of Foreign Relations, Minster of Infrastructure & Energy, Minister of Defense Minister, and the Chief of Staff of the Honduran military.
President Rivlin warmly welcomed the Honduran President and the delegation, and expressed his appreciation that the President had returned to Israel as head of state having been a participant in the Foreign Ministry's Mashav volunteer program - Israel's Agency for International Development Cooperation.
"We are excited to host you here in Israel, and in our capital city of Jerusalem," Rivlin said. "I am pleased to host a head of state who has himself participated in the Mashav program of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, and has seen our daily lives in the country, which I am without doubt has impacted greatly your deep understanding of Israel.
"Meeting with those that have participated in the Mashav program fills me with pride, in the knowledge that Israel is fulfilling its role among the nations."
At the beginning of the meeting, Honduran Foreign Minister Arturo Corrales Alvarez, together with the Dep. Director General of Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and Head of Mashav, Ambassador Gil Haskel, signed a Declaration of Intent on development cooperation between the two countries with the assistance of the international development agency of the MFA, in the areas of water, agriculture, education, medicine, and regional security.
President Rivlin concluded by reiterating his appreciation of the President's deep understanding of Israel, for his support for Israel in the international arena, and for the ongoing cooperation between the countries. "We appreciate your efforts, and welcome you warmly to our capital city."
President Hernandez thanked President Rivlin for his warm welcome, and reaffirmed his country's support for Israel.
"It is an honor for me and my wife, and all the delegation to visit Israel. We bring a message from the people of Honduras to the people of Israel; we have supported you and will continue to support you, and your choices, as a state and as a people."
He stressed that Israel's wealth of experience in the field of water conservation and agriculture was of great importance, and his hopes for his own country to gain such expertise from the Jewish state.
"Our country, in Central America, in the past years has been especially impacted by climate change. We are here in order to benefit from your experience, and we hope to receive your support on this issue.
"The issue of water management in agriculture is among our highest priorities for our increasing cooperation, and I call on both the public and private sectors to invest in the agricultural areas across Honduras. We have the water, and we hope to learn from you how to manage it for effective irrigation."