(Communicated by the Foreign Ministry Spokesman)
A unique meeting between delegations of young Israeli diplomats and cadets of the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs was held last week at the German Foreign Ministry's Academy of Diplomacy, situated just outside of Berlin.
The meeting was instigated by Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Tzipi Livni and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and concluded in the last round of bilateral consultations, held last March in Jerusalem.
The project's aim is the strengthening the bilateral relationship between the two countries, and intensifying the level of acquaintanceship between the young diplomats, by creating a direct dialogue regarding the bilateral relationship and foreign relations of the two countries.
Among the topics discussed at the meeting was the stance of the West regarding the Iranian nuclear program, Israel's image as perceived by the German public, and Germany's image as perceived by the Israeli public.
During the visit, the delegations visited Wannsee House, sight of the Wannsee Conference held in January 1942 in which the leaders of the Nazi regime discussed the implementation of the "Final solution to the Jewish question". The tour raised the issue of the centrality of Holocaust studies in the German school system, and its implications on minorities and immigrants - mainly people of the Moslem faith - in German society.
Similar meetings between the diplomatic cadets of both nations are planned for the future, and are aimed at promoting cooperation in the training of future generations of diplomats. The next meeting is scheduled to take place in 2009, in Jerusalem.