Israeli President Isaac Herzog is due to visit Mediterranean coast neighbors Greece, Cyprus and Turkey this upcoming month, and meet their leaders.
Herzog will depart for a state visit to Greece on Thursday at the invitation of his counterpart, Katerina Sakellaropoulou. During this trip, Herzog will hold diplomatic meetings in Athens with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and other senior officials. He will also meet with members of the Greek Jewish community.
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Greece, Cyprus, and Israel officials in a press conference following trilateral meeting
(Photo: EPA)
Herzog will then travel to Cyprus on March 2 to meet with head of state Nicos Anastasiades, his office said in a statement. Following private meetings between Herzog and Anastasiades, an extended bilateral meeting will be held in the presence of the Israeli and Cypriot delegations.
“During my meetings in both countries, I will discuss with leaders and senior government officials measures to broaden and deepen the rich collaboration between our nations,” Herzog in a statement. “We will specifically discuss opportunities for regional collaboration in tackling the climate crisis."
Herzog's tour comes after a delegation of senior Turkish officials visited Jerusalem last Thursday to prepare for the Israeli president's visit to Turkey, a rare trip scheduled for March 9-10, according to the official Turkish television channel TRT, as part of an attempt to create a regional alliance on climate change, among other goals.
President Herzog has been working on mending fences with Ankara which has often condemned Israel's policies toward the Palestinians. Israel, in turn, wants an end to Turkish support of Islamist Hamas militants and has also sought to reassure Greece and Cyprus that their relations will remain steadfast.
With these three countries, as well as with Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and the Palestinians, Herzog said he wanted to forge "a regional partnership for addressing the climate crisis."