President Giorgi Margvelashvili and President Ruvi Rivlin
President Giorgi Margvelashvili and President Ruvi RivlinHaim Tzach, La"m

Israeli President Reuven (Ruvi) Rivlin responded to Sunday's ramming attack at the welcome ceremony held in his honor by Georgia President Giorgi Margvelashvili.

After both countries' anthems were played the the opening ceremonies had been held, Rivlin said, "I came here, from the eternal and holy city of Jerusalem, the city towards which every Jew has prayed for 2,000 years.

"Today, again, it is the city in which we are mourning young men and women who are again victims of terror and hate.

"The terror will never win. Terror will only strengthen our belief and our commitment to Jerusalem," Rivlin emphasized

Rivlin also thanked Margvelashvili, saying, "We are celebrating 25 years of diplomatic relations between our countries, but our friendship is much older. The Jewish community in your country has existed for thousands of years. We are very proud of the Georgian Jews' contribution to our culture, as well as those Georgian Jews who immigrated to Israel. Georgian Jews, whether here or in Israel, are a bridge between our countries and living proof of the warm relationship and the friendship we share.

"During my visit, I expect to learn more about your country, and about how we can continue to develop our friendship and the cooperation between us."

In response, Margvelashvili said, "I want to share with your our people's excitement for your visit. We are happy to host you and to feel the strong friendship between our countries. We are small nations with tremendous power, and we live in a complex environment. All these factors mean we will continue to have more and more opportunities for cooperation.

"ISIS is a threat to the entire world. We must fight together to be victorious over them and over everyone else who aims to cause disruptions. The war against terror must be fought with strength and with unity in order for us to succeed."