President Shimon Peres on Tuesday morning 20 Shevat 5774, at his Jerusalem residence, held a working meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. At the beginning of the meeting President Peres and Prime Minister Harper delivered statements to the press. During the meeting they discussed strengthening the strategic relations between Israel and Canada as well as the negotiations between Israel and the PA (Palestinian Authority).

President Peres welcomed Prime Minister Harper and said, “You are a dear friend, there are few who speaker in such a way. You have come at an important moment not only for Israel but for the Middle East as a whole. We are at a critical time, your visit and in the Palestinian Authority will help us progress towards peace. Israel and the world are united around the two state solution. There is no doubt that the process is hard and require tough decisions to be made but a peace agreement at this moment in time will push Israel and the entire region forward and will bring stability for years to come. The alternative to peace is dangerous.”

Prime Minister Harper thanked President Peres for his words and said that Israel and Canada are similar in terms of being multicultural but that while Israel has little land and a rich history, Canada has a lot of land but less history. Prime Minister Harper echoed the president’s sentiment that the future must be based on knowledge economies and added that Israel is the best example of using high-tech to secure the future.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)