Marking the first-ever visit by an Israeli President to Albania, President Herzog met on Thursday with the Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama, in the capital Tirana.
Accompanying the President on his visit was Idit Ohel, mother of Alon Ohel who is among the 101 hostages still being held captive by Hamas. The Albanian Prime Minister, known for his love of painting and art, emotionally presented Idit with a book of his works as a token of appreciation and emphasized to her once again the importance of bringing the hostages home.
Ahead of their meeting, the President and Prime Minister made brief statements.
President Herzog thanked his host for the historic and warm welcome and said: "It is especially meaningful to be among friends at this painful time for Israel, as we near the one-year mark since Hamas terrorists brutally attacked Israel. One year since thousands of terrorists invaded our country, savagely murdered and wounded thousands, and kidnapped hundreds of Israelis and foreign nationals into Gaza."
He noted, "Ever since that dark day in October, Albania has placed itself firmly on the right side of history. Your country has shown, again and again, that you stand with the people of Israel, as we fight to defend our borders and our civilization."
The President stressed, "Still today, hostages are being held in cruel bondage in Gaza, in gross violation of every humanitarian and ethical norm. The entire international community must do everything in its power to bring them home. All of them. Unfortunately, we are fighting more than one terrorist enemy simultaneously. The trail of blood linking all of the agents of hate is Iran and its cruel, antisemitic fixation with the destruction of the State of Israel."
Prime Minister Rama welcomed the President and his delegation.
Prime Minister Rama said: "Thank you for having brought here with you the mother of hostage, of Alon, to whom I had the privilege to dedicate a book of my art. And I'll pray for him to get back."
He added, "I want to send a very brotherly message to all the parents of the hostages on one hand, expressing the most heartfelt condolences to all of them who lost their kids, who lost their loved ones in this horrendous moment in time, and on the other hand, to wish to all the others, to hug their kids and to hug their loved ones as soon as possible. I can't agree more with every Israeli citizen and every Jew in the world when it comes to the need for the world to understand the horrors we are witnessing, and also the many unnecessary victims of this war where so many innocents are losing their lives because of the need to eradicate this devil from the underneath of the earth. It did not start from anything but started from a horror that nobody around today's world has ever imagined could be seen in our lifetime. These images of that day, that very dark day, not just for Israel, but for all the world, were images that no one should forget and everyone when speaking about the way through, should start from those images, otherwise history may repeat itself, and this would be, then not the sin of Israel, but this will be the sin of all humanity.“
During President Herzog’s historic visit, Prime Minister Rama informed the President of his decision to open a new office in Jerusalem that will serve as a commercial liaison office.
According to the President's office: "The decision marks a significant upgrade in the strong relationship between the two nations and represents a symbol of the deep friendship between the two peoples."