(Communicated by the President's Spokesperson)
President Peres received this morning (Wednesday, July 08 2009) the credentials of H.E. Mr. Dinh Xuan Luu, ambassador of Vietnam, H.E. Mr. Jose Luis Salinas Montes, ambassador of Peru, H.E. Mr. Ochir Ochirjav, ambassador of Mongolia and H.E. Ms. Andrea Joan Smith, ambassador of New Zealand in official ceremonies in the President's Residence in Jerusalem.
President Peres discussed the possibilities of strengthening the bilateral relations with their countries, especially in the political, commercial agricultural, technological and tourism arenas, and promised the cooperation of the President's Residency and other relevant authorities on this matter.
It should be noted that the first Vietnamese ambassador to Israel presented his credentials this morning. The ambassador will operate from an embassy that will be established in Israel for the first time since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1993. The previous ambassador was a non-resident ambassador, operating from Cairo.
At their meeting, President Peres told the new ambassador: "I congratulate the Vietnamese government on their decision to establish an embassy in Israel. The establishment of an embassy opens a new era in the relationship of the two countries."