Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with his Hungarian and Czech counterparts on Thursday to discuss policies to combat COVID-19 as the third wave of pandemic coronavirus outbreaks in central Europe.
Speaking to the media in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said that the three heads of state considered promoting collaborations in the fields of vaccine research, development and production.
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Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (L), Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in Jerusalem
(Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)
“We have discussed a number of topics, including the green pass. It is a good idea to add the Czech Republic and Hungary to this,” Netanyahu said. “We also want to bring them in for the international vaccination center we will establish in Israel.”
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán praised Israel for their successful COVID-19 vaccination campaign and said his country regards Israel as a role model in dealing with coronavirus.
Orbán said we have “some good ideas about the green passport. We are showcasing domestic options for the green passport and we are about to join the global campaign.”
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said his arrival in Israel “proves that the Czech Republic has a friend he can trust” and that he is drawing inspiration from Israel’s vaccination campaign.
Babiš also cited the decision of the International Criminal Court to launch an investigation into war crimes committed by Israel against the Palestinians.
“We think it’s impossible. The Czech Republic does not recognize Palestine as a state, it is a political ruling.” Babiš said. “The court should stop being selective. We will not pardon anything that endangers the State of Israel, and that is the only democracy in the region.”
Netanyahu also said that Israel would gladly help other countries in the treatment of the pandemic and give them vaccine money once the Jewish state has made the vaccine the most effective. her own people.
“I promise we will do what we can. We live in an age of pandemics and we don’t know if this will continue, so we have to set ourselves up against those opportunities,” Netanyahu said. “We have to be a seller and not just a buyer, to be a producer. Together, we can do it. Unfortunately, it will take two years, but we will not only be able to get vaccines. to our own people, but also to others. “
Prior to that, Netanyahu and Babiš delivered a joint media briefing after the Czech Republic opened an official diplomatic mission in Jerusalem.
The event was marked by an official trap-cutting ceremony in the capital, attended by Babiš, Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, and several other officials and dignitaries from both countries.
Orbán was also present at the service. Hungary reopened its mission in the capital back in March 2019, leaving it as the first to do so in the European Union, in violation of EU rules which claim that members of the bloc must open their diplomatic missions in Tel Aviv.
Netanyahu welcomed the two leaders for their support and opening diplomatic missions in Jerusalem, adding that we are “better together.”
Netanyahu was unable to attend the ceremony after being canceled on his first official trip to the United Arab Emirates after nearby Jordan banned the main man from traveling through his airfield.