Israel, Central European states say better EU-Israel ties needed

Record ID: 903383

  • Title: Israel, Central European states say better EU-Israel ties needed
  • Date: 19th July 2017
  • Summary: BUDAPEST, HUNGARY (JULY 19, 2017) (REUTERS) NETANYAHU AND ORBAN WALKING INTO NEWS CONFERENCE MEDIA ORBAN SPEAKING (SOUNDBITE) (Hungarian) HUNGARIAN PRIME MINISTER, VIKTOR ORBAN, SAYING: "The European Union should appreciate those efforts that the state of Israel is doing for the stability of the region. It is not only Israeli but also European interest because they are protecting us from newer and newer migrant invasions." VARIOUS OF MEDIA NETANYAHU SPEAKING SOUNDBITE) (English) ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER, BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, SAYING: "Israel serves a unique function in being the one Western country in the region, the one country that is able to limit and fight from the region, within the region, this great danger to all of us. And I suggested that we have, as Prime Minister Orban said, a working group on how to work together to cooperate in this battle against terrorism, the spread of militant Islamic terrorism to the world, I believe that we can do a lot more together than separately." MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (English) ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU SAYING: "I also expressed my appreciation for the positions taken by the Visegrad countries on several occasions for representing this position about Israel to the countries of Europe. There is an anomaly, I don't hide it. We are often criticised by Europe, often more than any other place by Western Europe, often more than by any other place in the world - Israel is the one democracy in the Middle East, Israel is the one beacon of tolerance in a very wide area. Israel is the one place where Christians are safe and the Christian community in Israel not only survives but thrives and grows. Israel is a bastion of European and western values in the heart of a very, very dark area. This is understood today not only as serving our interest and I believe your interest, I believe that many of the Arab countries understand that Israel serves their interests. So it is time to have a re-assessment in Europe about the relations with Israel, we have much to offer each other." MEDIA NETANYAHU SHAKING HANDS WITH V4 PRIME MINISTERS AND LEAVING
  • Embargoed: 2nd August 2017 12:45
  • Keywords: Visegrad 4 V4 Slovankia Israel Netanyahu
  • Location: BUDAPEST, HUNGARY
  • City: BUDAPEST, HUNGARY
  • Country: Hungary
  • Topics: Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA0036QDUSEF
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: The leaders of Hungary and Israel on Wednesday (July 19) called for improved relations between the EU and Israel, notably in security and technology, in an era defined by terrorism threats and migration.
    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hungary's Viktor Orban both said relations should be reassessed as Israel was being criticised in Brussels while claiming that the country plays a stabilising role in the Middle East at the benefit of Europe.
    The prime ministers of Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia, who also attended the meeting with Netanyahu, said they supported improved Israel-EU relations.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2017. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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