President Isaac Herzog on Thursday received the diplomatic credentials of new ambassadors to Israel from Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya and Peru.
Italian Ambassador Luca Ferrari, Japanese Ambassador Arai Yusuke and Peruvian Ambassador Javier Martín Sánchez-Checa Salazar arrived at the ceremony at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem wearing the symbolic yellow ribbon in support of the 120 captives still being held by the Hamas terror group in the Gaza Strip.
“I am very keen to foster the bilateral relationship, we are working on many agreements for cooperation. We also stand with Israel at this very difficult stage. You have the full support of Italy, its people, and its government,” said Ferrari.
Yusuke said, “Japan is a very important nation and a very important friend to Israel. Israelis want to enhance the relationship between our countries. I hope we are able to see more Israelis visiting Japan and more Japanese people visiting Israel. I look forward to seeing more cultural exchanges as well as more cooperation in business, security and more.
“His Majesty [Emperor Naruhito] asked me to especially convey his wishes to enhance the relationship and cooperation between our countries. I believe this is in our national interest. I wish very much for peace and normality to return to your country, and the return of the hostages is of course key to that,” said Yusuke.
Sánchez-Checa conveyed “warm regards” from Lima and committed to “working hard to strengthen relations and cooperation between our countries.
“We condemn the terrible attack on October 7, and we support Israel’s position in demanding the immediate release of the hostages,” he said.
Kazakhstani Ambassador Daulet Yemberdiyev told Herzog he was “honored to work in this wonderful and beautiful country. We feel the support of the State of Israel in all fields. I want to thank you, on behalf of the president of Kazakhstan and on behalf of our people.”
Replied Herzog: “Your country is showing much leadership in your region. We have a lot to do together.”
Kenyan Ambassador Albert Kendagor noted that Nairobi and Jerusalem “have many common areas of interest, including in the field of agritech. We also face the common threat of terror, and we look forward to working together for peace and security. We hope that all the hostages will be released.”
