Diplomatic Events

On June 27th the Embassy of the Republic of Belarus to the State of Israel entertained a celebration event on the occasion of the Day of Independence of Belarus. The celebration was held in the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation in Tel Aviv-Yafo. The ambassador of the Republic of Belarus to the state of Israel, H. E. Vladimir Skvortsov, hosted Israeli officials, fellow ambassadors, visitors from Belarus and Israeli-Belarusian citizens.

Among the guests were:Chief of State Protocol in the Israeli Foreign Ministry Meron Reuben, former Defense and Foreign Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman,former Prime Minister and Mayor of Jerusalem Ehud Olmert, former Minister of Immigrant Absorption Sofa Landver, Members of the Knesset Yoel Razvozov and Evgeny Sova, Deputy Chairman of the Jewish National Fund and former Member of the Knesset Yigal Yasinov, former Ambassador of the State of Israel to the Republic of Belarus and former Member of the Knesset Yosef Shagal, former Member of the Knesset Leon Litinetsky, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the State of Israel Anatoly Viktorov, Ambassador of Ukraine to the State of Israel Hennadii Nadolenko, Director of Eurasia department in the Israeli Foreign Ministry Yacov Livne, Senior Advisor for Governmental and International Affairs of the Peres Center Nadav Tamir, and President of the Veteran’s Union of WW2 in Israel Avraham-Michael Greenzaid.

Ambassador Skvortsov welcomed and thanked all the guests on the occasion of the National Day of Belarus - marking the liberation of the capital Minsk from Nazi invaders 75 years ago. That symbolic date has been determined as the main holiday of the country - the Independence Day of Belarus. The Ambassador praised the relations between Belarus and Israel: “The history of relations between Belarusian and Jewish people goes back around six centuries. Close interlacing of human destinies and cultures in our past is today a solid foundation of friendly ties between the two countries.” Ambassador Skvortsov mentioned the many influential Israelis born in Belarus: Presidents Haim Weizmann, Zalman Shazar and Shimon Peres, Prime Ministers Menahem Begin and Yitzhak Shamir, and a key figure in the revival of Hebrew as a spoken language, Eliezer Ben-Yehuda and thanked Ministers Avigdor Lieberman and Sofa Landver for their contribution to improving relations between the countries, culminating in visa-free travel between the two states. 

In his closing remarks, the Ambassador congratulated Israel on achieving 8th place in the medal standings in the European Games hosted in Minsk. Ambassador Skvortsov will return to Belarus after 6 years in Israel, and he summed up his time in Israel: “After the summer vacations, I will complete my term here, and leave Israel where I have lived and worked for almost six impressive and eventful years. It was for me a great honor and pleasure to serve in Israel as Ambassador of my country. I tried to do my best to

strengthen the relationship between our two nations. I could always rely on the support of many Israeli friends of my country - politicians, businessmen, members of NGO’s and the Belarusian community, whose representatives are also among us tonight. We value what has been done in many practical areas of mutual Cooperation. I am sincerely grateful for the meetings and events held here with my colleagues from the Diplomatic Corps, as well as for the friendly relations with many people present, which I hope will continue. And last but not least - my thank is addressed to the staff of the embassy. Without your support and professionalism, dear friends, I could never have done what we have managed together during these intense years.”

Yacov Livne, Director of the Eurasia department at the Israeli Foreign Ministry thanked Ambassador Skvortsov for his great work in Israel: “Mr. Ambassador, your personality is the best combination of a professional diplomat, a remarkable colleague and a true friend of Israel. We wish your family a lot of happiness and the best of luck in your future endeavors.” 

Also at the event, the embassy of Belarus and the Peres Center for Peace showed a photo exhibition dedicated to Belarus - “The land under white wings” which presented the history and contemporary Belarus in photos. Traditional Belorussian food was offered to the guests, including local alcohol and ice cream. Classical music was played by the “Kamerans” and “Oriental orchestra” lead by the conductor and violinist Mikhael Zakharin.