President Rivlin’s State Visit to Germany – Marking 50 Years of Diplomatic
Relations
(Communicated by the President’s Spokesperson)
Friday, 8 May 2015 / 19 Iyar 5775

President Rivlin will depart on Sunday for a state visit to Germany (10-13
May), marking 50 years of diplomatic relations

Visit Highlights:

Deliver a special address marking the jubilee of diplomatic relations
between Israel and Germany
Meet with: President Joachim Gauck; Chancellor Angela Merkel; President
(Speaker) of the Bundestag Norbert Lammert; and Foreign Minister
Frank-Walter Steinmeier
Lay a wreath at the ‘Platform 17’ memorial to the Jews of Berlin murdered in
the Holocaust
Guest of honor at a celebratory concert of the Berlin Philharmonic
Meet with young Israelis and Germans involved in partnership projects
Visit Kiel, meet German students at Kiel University

President of Israel Reuven Rivlin will on Sunday evening (10 May), depart
for a state visit of Germany at the invitation of German President Joachim
Gauck, to mark 50th years of diplomatic relations between Israel and
Germany.

As preparations for the visit drew to a close, President Rivlin said, “My
visit to Germany is for me both emotional and deeply significant. Together
with the people of Germany, we will mark a long journey. A journey which
has brought us from the unforgettable horrors of the past, to the shared
values of the present, and with cooperation and friendship, will lead us to
a promising future. I have no doubt that my meetings with the German
President, Chancellor, and senior government officials will help deepen the
cooperation between our two peoples and governments. It is important to
remember that our friendship is in no way compensation for the Holocaust, it
is built on a basis of shared values, after Germany accepted upon itself
responsibility for that dark period. Today, we are thriving, with the
values of democracy and freedom of expression, having been able to learn the
lessons of the past.”

Relations between Israel and Germany were established gradually, and began
with the signing of the Reparations Agreement in 1952. After the development
of relations on an economic level, political relations were officially
established between West Germany and Israel in 1965. Over the years there
has been a significant strengthening of bilateral relations between the
countries, and the forging of close cooperation in the political, security,
economic, and cultural fields.

Visit Schedule

Please see below the schedule for the visit. Please note the times listed
are local to Germany (1hr behind Israel), and that the schedule may be
subject to change.

All events listed will be open to media coverage in accordance with details
to be issued.

Sunday, 10 May

President Rivlin will depart in the evening for Germany.

Monday, 11 May

11:00 (12:00 Isr): President Rivlin will be received at an official welcome
ceremony at the Presidential Palace, where he will be welcomed with an honor
guard. He will sign the official guest book, before holding a working
meeting with President Gauck.

12:15 (13:15 Isr): Following their meeting, the two Presidents will deliver
statements to the media, and officially launch a commemorative postal stamp,
celebrating 50 years of bilateral relations.

15:00 (16:00 Isr): President Rivlin will visit 'Platform 17'. He will make
an address and a lay a wreath at the memorial site on the location of the
train station from where the Jews of Berlin were sent to Auschwitz.

16:15 (17:15 Isr): President Rivlin will, together with the Mayor of Berlin
Michael Müller, walk from the Brandenburg Gate toward the nearby Pariser
Platz. He will then sign the ‘Golden Book of Berlin’, at the Libermann
Villa, the historic home of German-Jewish artist Max Libermann, and then
hold a meeting with the Mayor Müller.

17:10 (18:10 Isr): President Rivlin will pay a visit to the Youth Congress
in Berlin, together with President Guack. The Congress is made up of 300
Israelis and Germans between the ages of 18-30, who have taken part in
partnership projects in a range of fields in arts and culture. The
participants will present some of the projects to the two Presidents. The
event will take place at the Youth Congress at the Kalksheune building.

19:30 (20:30 Isr): The President will be guest of honor at an official state
dinner at the Presidential Palace. At the commencement of the evening, both
Presidents will deliver speeches. (Official coverage only)

Tuesday, 12 May

09:30 (10:30 Isr): President Rivlin will hold a working meeting with German
Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier. (Photo-op only)

11:20 (12:20 Isr): President Rivlin will meet with participants of the
German-Israeli Future Forum Foundation, and hear from them about different
ways to conserve and strengthen bilateral relations, and examine the history
of relations between the two countries. Also participating in the meeting
will be President Gauck and his wife, as well as heads of the foundation
Michael Jensen and Michael Federman. The forum was founded by the JNF (KKL)
in 2009 and operates projects for promoting joint activities in various
fields. The event will take place in Pfefferberg.

12:30 (13:30 Isr): President Rivlin will hold a working lunch meeting with
Chancellor Merkel. (Photo-op only)

13:45 (14:45 Isr): President Rivlin and Chancellor Merkel will meet with 20
members of the city’s young congress. During the course of the meeting,
both the President and the Chancellor will deliver brief statements.

14:50 (15:50 Isr): President Rivlin will meet with President (Speaker) of
the Bundestag is Prof. Norbert Lammert for a working meeting at the
parliament building. (Photo-op only)

19:00 (20:00 Isr): President Rivlin will attend as guest of honor a
celebratory concert by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, at the Berliner
Philharmonie. Presidents Rivlin and Gauck will deliver addresses at the
beginning of the event. After the concert there will be a reception in
honor of Israel’s 67th Independence Day.

Wednesday, 13 May

10:00 (11:00 Isr): President Rivlin will arrive in Kiel, where he will hold
a working meeting with Schleswig-Holstein Minister-President, Mr. Torsten
Albig. At the end of the meeting the two will deliver brief statements to
the media. The meeting will take place at theSchleswig-Holstein government
building.

10:50 (11:50 Isr): President Rivlin will meet with students of Kiel’s
Christian Albrechts University, as guest of the local governor. President
Rivlin and President of the University, Dr. Lutz Kipp, will address the
gathering, after which President Rivlin will hold an open discussion with
the students.

Later: President Rivlin will return to Berlin, and from there return to
Israel.