Israeli, Swedish FMs meet to mend bilateral ties

JERUSALEM, Oct. 18– Foreign ministers of Israel and Sweden on Monday met in Jerusalem for the first time in a decade to mend bilateral ties. “Sweden is a friend of Israel,” Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde said in the joint statements after meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid. For his part, Lapid said that Israel and Sweden wish to grow their ties.

JERUSALEM, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) — Foreign ministers of Israel and Sweden on Monday met in Jerusalem for the first time in a decade to mend bilateral ties.

“Sweden is a friend of Israel,” Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde said in the joint statements after meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid.

“We both see a real opportunity to deepen our dialogue further and develop longstanding cooperation when it comes to innovation, culture, and trade, as well as fighting antisemitism,” she said.

For his part, Lapid said that Israel and Sweden wish to grow their ties.

“We share a common desire to develop, advance and realize the economic and social potential between the countries, as well as cultivate connections in technology and trade,” Lapid said.

“In our conversations, we agreed that friends do not have to agree on everything,” Lapid added.

Sweden irked Israeli leaders when it recognized Palestine as a state in the occupied territories back in 2014.

In her current visit, Linde said that Sweden still supports a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which means an Israeli withdrawal of territories it seized in the 1967 Middle East war. Enditem