Diplomatic Events

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Written by Silvia G Golan

Published: 13 October 2014

To commemorate the Day of the Hispanic Heritage, the Ambassador of Spain in Israel, Mr. Fernando Carderera and his wife Victoria, offered a reception at their residence in Herzlia Pituach.

Numerous ambassadors of foreign countries and diplomats , representatives of the Israeli army and attachés of various embassies attended the event , as well as delegates of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, directors of the Chamber of Commerce and of the Association of Friends Israel - Spain and representatives of various political and commercial sectors. Among the guests we could see the businessman Gad Propper, Prof. Aviva Doron and journalist Henrique Cymermann.

Typical Spanish tapas were served during the event, amongst them the tortilla, ham, cheese and chicken balls, all these were accompanied by excellent Spanish wines and Cava.
Separately, in the terrace located on the first floor was served kosher food that included some specialties prepared for the event.

The Ambassador addressed the guests announcing that his speech would be short this year in order to have the opportunity to show a video about Spain. After the video, the national anthems of Israel and Spain were sung.

The Ambassador continued his speech stressing that "Spain is a key country in the history of Judaism. Our relations are bound to be both complex and intense, because so was our history. The Ambassador stressed in Hebrew and afterwards in English and Spanish: "we are proud of our common culture, our similar origins and the shared heritage of Sepharad. That's why we want to strengthen the ties in the fields of culture, education, science, new technologies and research, trade and investment.

There is a growing presence of Spanish companies in Israel. Valoriza is about to finish a desalination plant in Ashdod. Abengoa is building solar power plants. Telefónica has its own subsidiary in Israel, Unión Fenosa Gas is interested in buying gas from Tamar and several Spanish companies would like to participate in the preparations of the project for national infrastructure.

The recession has ended and the Spanish economy is growing again with an increasing GDP above the average growth in the euro zone. The new standard in the Spanish economy is based on competitiveness and the external sector acting as an engine of growth. As a result, confidence in the Spanish economy has been restored with a very important reduction in our risk premium. Unemployment remains too high and we need to reduce the national debt, but Spain has a diversified economy, skilled job employees and very strong companies.

Spanish companies are world leaders in key sectors such as renewable energy, management infrastructure and construction, ICT, high-speed railways, financial services, biotechnology, naval technology, environmental technology and space and aerial systems, among others".

Again, the Ambassador stressed in Hebrew and in English: "we want to use all these potentialities to do business with Israel and cooperate with you in all possible sectors.

We share your mourning for the casualties and the injured during operation "Protective Edge".

My country has heavily invested in joining international efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East. We fully support the effective guarantees for the security of Israel, and we are committed to a two-State solution, through direct negotiations, including the creation of a viable Palestinian State that recognizes Israel."

Before concluding, he expressed his thanks to the sponsors: Valoriza Agua, Freixenet and the Spanish Ministry of Defence. to his wife, and to all the employees at the Embassy.
He also commented on the food offered at the event: Spanish tapas, including an excellent ham and cheese brought from Spain specially for the occasion, and a kosher area, and not less the Spanish wine and Cava. He invited the Minister and the rest of the guests to join in a toast wishing a long life and well-being to both heads of State, his Excellency the President Reuven Rivlin and his Majesty King Felipe VI of Spain, as well as for the mutual friendship.

Afterwards, expressed the representative of the Israeli Government, Minister for matters relating to the 3rd age, Ori Orbach: "Economic cooperation, with particular emphasis on research and development, is one of the most important interfaces between the peoples of Spain and Israel. Both countries have common interests in areas of global importance, such as renewable energy and the use of natural resources. Our two vibrant nations are blessed with a large young population highly skilled, creative and innovative. In concrete terms, this means that in the coming years we will see an intensified cooperation and a relationship increasingly strong on the economy, the...... and technology.

Spain and Israel also are reaping the benefits of their joint efforts to enhance bilateral cultural relations, which draw even more closer our two peoples. We have opened new paths, the Israeli arts, music, cinema and dance have won recognition all over Spain. This year Israel was invited to participate in the Barcelona Design Fair, where thousands of visitors had the opportunity to see the capabilities of Israel in this field. This month, an exhibition by the outstanding Israeli artist Sigalit Landau, will be inaugurated in Spain, and about two weeks ago the famous Spanish dancer and choreographer José Porcel and his company presented his show at the Suzanne Dellal Centre in Tel Aviv. These are just a few typical examples of uninterrupted cultural activity".

He jokingly commented on an incident about the naming of a street in the northern part of Israel, where the name of Yehuda Levi was to be removed in order to name the street after the father of a former local mayor. The problem was finally resolved by replacing part of the ¨Hashalom¨ street (The Peace) by that of the Spanish Rabbi Yehuda Levi, since this combination of both seemed to be the most appropriate.

After this the Minister continued his speech by expressing the following : "the time is too short to address the broad spectrum of cultural ties that go much further back in history, when the Jewish culture was an integral part of Spanish culture. Each of our peoples left one decisive mark over the other during the golden age, and we are now enjoying the products of cultural diversity of both Nations. Israel and Spain have many shared values and have come a long way together to promote peace in the Middle East. Let me state that the former Spanish Foreign Minister was one of the first leaders to declare publicly in the UN General Assembly that Israel has the right to live in security and supported the idea of a two State solution. Israel regards Spain as an important ally and an ideological partner in many fields. Israel also publicly supports the candidacy of Spain to occupy a non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council in 2015-2016.

Unfortunately, both Israel and Spain, have been and continue to be victims of jihadist terrorism, and our cooperation in this area is more essential than ever. We hope that the visit of the Spanish Minister of Defence will be materialized soon, and we truly believe that it will contribute to the strengthening of ties between our two countries in this field. Similarly, we expect the visit of the Spanish Interior Minister, which is scheduled to lead a business delegation to an international exhibition about "National Security" that will take place within the next two months. Israel, Spain and the Western world are facing multiple and formidable challenges, and only by force of union we will be able to succeed and ensure a better future for the young generations on our two countries.

Spain and Israel are located on opposite sides of the Mediterranean See, and they are the only Western democracies that have land borders with Africa. Over the centuries, these geographic facts have created many similarities in both populations and give rise to common interests in fields such as the struggle against terrorism, trafficking of persons and dealing with illegal immigration. These issues also make it imperative for us to strengthen our professional cooperation in order to obtain solutions that ensure our future and the future of the generations to come.

The solid friendship between our peoples and nations means that we need to tackle difficult and even painful topics with honesty. We are fully convinced that the Spanish leaders, struggling against racism, will clearly and unequivocally condemn the recent anti-Semitic manifestations that we witnessed during the operation "Protective Edge" , when, unfortunately, the Spanish public received a distorted image of the events in Gaza. These are the currents of events that have circulated throughout Europe, and only a very strong public stand against them and a decisive action against their perpetrators may neutralize this fact.

This year, the Spanish national holiday falls on the Jewish holidays of Sukkot, also known as the Feast of the Harvest, one of the oldest festivals in Judaic history. It is a festival that marks the end of the agricultural cycle and the hope for rain that will lead to additional seasons of abundance".

The Minister concluded his speech by wishing the citizens and the Government of Spain many years of prosperity and expressed the sincere wish that relations between the two countries be also blessed with abundance, that both countries will be able to enjoy the privilege of tasting the sweet fruits of bi-national cooperation and a strong friendship between their peoples. And that they be blessed with years of peace.

Photo  Silvia Golan