President Isaac Herzog on Thursday received the letters of credence of five new ambassadors: Doulat Yemberdiyev of Kazakhstan; Javier Martin Sanchez-Checa of Peru; Albert Kendagor of Kenya; Arai Yusuke of Japan and Luca Ferrari of Italy.Herzog has a gift for putting people at ease. During each of the presentation ceremonies, there was a slight air of tension on the part of the ambassador, but once the president and the ambassador sat down to chat, the atmosphere was very relaxed, and there was also a lot of laughter.Although the conversations are officially conducted in English, Yemberdiyev wrote a long message in Hebrew, saying how honored he was to serve as his country’s ambassador in Israel. Yemberdiyev, who previously served in the Kazakhstan Embassy in Israel in 2003, speaks Hebrew quite fluently, and dropped Hebrew expressions where most appropriate. Later, when he signed the guest book, he also wished Israel peace and stability. Herzog, who is deeply interested in anything to do with climate change, was hopeful that he would be able to attend Kazakhstan’s climate conference later this year.
The ambassador is currently living in rented premises in Herzliya Pituah where many of his neighbors are also diplomats, but hopes to purchase a permanent residence in the near future. Kazakhstan and Israel have good economic relations, and according to the ambassador, 208 business enterprises in his country, are joint Israel-Kazakhstan ventures.
Herzog told Sanchez-Checa that all three of his sons had been to Peru and loved it. The ambassador said that he understood that he would have to work “very hard” to strengthen relations between the two countries.Something that Israel and Peru have in common is that both are fighting terrorism. The ambassador and Herzog also discussed tourism, with Sanchez-Checa noting that Lima has a new ultra-modern airport, which he said is a hub for the region.In welcoming Kendagor, Herzog emphasized the need to enhance relations which go back a long way. He also sought Kenya’s help in eliminating the anti-Israel attitudes emanating from some African states. Kenya, like Israel, keeps confronting and fighting terror, and has important security relations with Israel. They also spoke of environmental issues and an exchange of state visits. Herzog said that he would love to see Kenya’s President William Ruto come to Israel.Herzog, who had been scheduled to visit Japan late last year, told Yusuke that due to the situation he had regretfully postponed the visit to which he had been looking forward, especially as his father, President Chaim Herzog, had twice visited Japan. The president hoped to get to the Land of the Rising Sun some time in 2025.
Herzog found common ground with each new ambassador
Commenting on the fact that Yusuke, who previously held high positions in Japan’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, already has many friends in Israel who got to know him when they were in Japan, Herzog said that now that there are direct flights to Tokyo, he anticipated that more Israelis will travel to Japan, but he also hoped to see more Japanese tourists in Israel. The ambassador assured him that there would be a lot more business travelers, because there are already substantial Japanese investments in Israel. Herzog responded that he would also like to see more two-way cultural traffic.Waxing enthusiastically about Italy which he plans to visit at some stage in the near future, Herzog, who earlier this month married off his son Matan to Rotem Bar, said that immediately after the wedding, the young couple had flown to Italy. Herzog was curious about Italy’s constitution and the powers that it gives to the president and the prime minister. Ferrari provided a concise yet detailed explanation.Herzog, who is a great admirer of Italian President Sergio Materella, said that he would love to host him in Israel, and Ferrari promised to pass on the message. The two also discussed the new formation of the EU, and the history of the Jews of Rome, who are among the most ancient Jewish communities outside of Israel.In the inscription that he wrote in the presidential guest book, Ferrari wrote “Italy and the Italian people stand by the State of Israel in this difficult phase, Freedom will prevail.”Later, despite the traffic chaos between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem on Thursdays, due in part to ongoing protest demonstrations in both cities, the traditional vin d’honneur reception at Jerusalem’s King David hotel at which new ambassadors meet their colleagues from other countries, there was quite a large attendance, proving that tradition overcomes all obstacles.