JERUSALEM, Israel, July 5, 2023/ — President of Israel, Isaac Herzog, hosted this morning, (Tuesday,) an official welcoming ceremony for the President of the Republic of Liberia, George Weah, who was visiting Israel. The President and First Lady received the delegation which was headed by President Weah and his wife, Clar, and included several ministers and senior officials from Liberia.
The delegations stood for the national anthems, before holding a working meeting at the President’s Residence.
At the beginning of the meeting, President Herzog welcomed President Weah, and noted: “We are so honored to have you with us. I believe the potential of the relationship between Israel and Liberia is enormous, and your visit here is a token of friendship and this great potential.”
The President noted that his guest had enjoyed a successful career as an internationally renowned soccer star playing for clubs in France, Italy, and England scoring over 200 goals for his clubs and country. He said, “Of course, we cannot detach from your, or your son’s, illustrious career in sport, and there is much excitement and interest in your visit and experience. We mix love of the Bible, love of Israel, love of Liberia, and love of sport.”
The President emphasized that it is important for Liberia to have a permanent embassy in Israel, as it would greatly increase the opportunities for cooperation. He noted, “There are so many issues we can work on together, there is a need to advance cooperation in agriculture as soon as possible, and we spoke about other fields of interest including health, defense, and foreign affairs – there are many issues that can be upgraded dramatically.”
President Weah thanked the President for his warm welcome and said: “We are very excited to be here in Israel. I always promised you that I would come to Israel, and I am here today to keep that promise. We are working together as friends.”
He added, “I am here with a delegation of ministers here in the room, who understand that we have made a promise to our people, and we have to fulfill it. We want to work with Israel so we can continue to succeed.”
The two went on to hold an in-depth discussion on ways to increase cooperation between the two countries, including efforts to bring Liberian students to study advanced agriculture innovations in Israel. President Herzog reiterated the importance of Israel’s Observer Status at the African Union.
At the conclusion of their meeting, President Weah told President Herzog of his visit to Jerusalem and reflected on the news of his son’s signing for Juventus and said, “I put my note in the Western Wall to God, that Timothy will be the greatest player in the Italian League.”
President Weah wished the Israeli under-21 national team luck as they prepared for the semi-finals of the European soccer championship. He said, “I wish you a great game, God’s blessings. Play hard, and prepare well.”
