Although much publicity has been given to the projected visit to Turkey next month by President Isaac Herzog, which is widely perceived as a diplomatic icebreaker, Herzog will first visit Greece and Cyprus, beginning as early as this week.
Herzog is scheduled to pay a state visit to Greece on Thursday, where he will have an intensive day of meetings with President Katerina Sakellaropoulou. That will be followed by a working meeting with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, whom Herzog hosted during the latter’s visit to Israel last December, after which Herzog will return to the Presidential Palace for a state luncheon in his honor.
During the afternoon, he will meet with the Athens Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis, Hellenic Parliament President Constantinos Tassoulas and Alexis Tsipras, chairman of the parliamentary opposition. In the evening, before flying back to Israel, he will meet with representatives of the Greek Jewish community.
Next week, on March 2, Herzog will pay a somewhat briefer state visit to Cyprus at the invitation of President Nicos Anastasiades.
Since taking up his position last July, Herzog has spoken to numerous world leaders, including the presidents of Greece and Cyprus.
Regarding his upcoming visits, Herzog said Israel, Greece and Cyprus represent an alliance of stability in the Mediterranean. He views these visits as a reflection of the deep friendship between the three nations and their strategic partnership, which will be reiterated in his talks with the leaders of the two countries.
In addition to discussing joint regional strategies, Herzog plans to discuss their common struggle against the climate change crisis in the Mediterranean, a subject he has made a personal priority, by forming a presidential forum on climate change.