Upon his return from Romania, the prime minister described in great length details of his visit to that country and his talks with its leaders. He stated that while there were disagreements on a number of key issues, an attempt was made to close the gap. President Ceaucescu was asked to convey the Israeli position to others, notably the Soviet Union and Romania's friends in the Arab world. Agreements were reached in the economic and scientific cooperation realm. Text:
I have just returned from a three-day visit to Romania. They were three very full days: meetings, conferences, experiences. I held four discussions with President Ceaucescu - detailed discussions on a variety of problems, the main one being the problem of peace in the Middle East. I met with the Romanian Prime Minister, Mr. Dascalescu, and the subject we discussed touched upon the bilateral relations between Israel and Romania, chiefly in the economic realm, and we agreed to make a joint effort to increase trade between the two countries. As a result of this decision, a meeting of the mixed Romanian-Israeli economic committee will take place at the beginning of next year, and a Romanian delegation will come to Israel at the end of the year in order to pinpoint the subjects on which we should concentrate.
We also decided on the need to upgrade scientific and technological cooperation between Israel and Romania, and we decided on contacts between the National Council for Research and Development in Israel, and the Romanian Academy of Sciences.
I met, of course, as I do in every place, with the Jewish community. It was an impressive and moving meeting, and the reasons and motives for it are understandable.
In the long, detailed discussions I held with President Ceaucescu, who in fact invited me to this visit, we reviewed all the aspects of the problems of the Middle East. Part of the talks with him was devoted also to the question of immigration to Israel of Jews from Eastern Europe. I took advantage of the opportunity to thank him for his positive attitude towards immigration to Israel and his friendly attitude towards the Jewish community in Romania.
We also discussed the international situation. As you know, Mr. Ceaucescu is very actively concerned about peace on a world-wide scale, in the global arena. And of course he is also very active and reveals a great deal of interest in the arena of the Middle East. He often meets with Middle Eastern leaders, and when he meets them, the main subject in these meetings is always his concern about settling the conflicts in the Middle East and among them, the conflict between Israel and the Arab world. And this was the main subject we discussed.
One could say that in the many talks we held, and in the general and specific survey of all the issues, we discovered points on which we were close and on which we had common understanding, and there were also points on which we differed. And there was, I would say, a persistent effort on his part to draw our positions closer, in order to arrive at some possibility of progress in the Middle East peace process. We parted with a feeling, which we expressed, that our positions have become closer, and I assume that, thanks to his many connections in the international realm and in the Middle East, he will convey what he heard from me to many elements in the area.
I heard a great deal from him. I heard ideas that are food for thought, and we parted in a very friendly manner, and with optimism that we are actually, in some way or other, to some extent or other, drawing closer to peace.
I must emphasize the extraordinarily warm, friendly, amicable atmosphere that my hosts in Bucharest sought to create, in order that I would feel that I was among friends. And indeed, it was an extremely friendly round of talks and discussions. The relations between us and Romania have, I believe, become stronger and closer, and I hope that there will be a continuation of the talks and the contacts.
During the visit I was also invited to tour a certain part of Romania, two areas, in which they showed me some of the achievements of their heavy industry, and a tourism area in which they are investing a great deal in order to attract tourists from abroad.
I parted from them, from the Jews, from the Jewish community in a friendly way, and with the feeling that Romania is a country friendly to Israel.