(Communicated by MFA Spokesman's Bureau)
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, together with the Knesset, opened yesterday (14 June) the Conference of Latin American Parliamentarians. Twenty-six senators and members of parliament from thirteen states are in Israel to attend the conference (14-18 June 2009), including the president of the El Salvador Parliament and the chairs of foreign affairs committees from Chile, Mexico and Paraguay.
During the conference, participants will meet with Israel's President Shimon Peres, Deputy Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon, Knesset Speaker MK Reuven Rivlin, and various Knesset members. Personalities from academia and government will address the conference on topics relating to Israel, the peace process, the Middle East, and the Iranian threat.
The main purpose of the conference is to expose Latin American legislators to the Israeli reality and to relevant regional issues.
This visit of senior Latin American legislators is of great importance in furthering Foreign Minister Liberman's desire to promote Israel in Latin America and to boost political and economic ties with the various states there. Similarly, Deputy FM Ayalon participated in the annual conference of the Organization of American States (OAS) that was held in Honduras at the beginning of June. And it was decided to reopen soon the consulate general in Sao Paolo, Brazil.