ISRAELI Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Sa’ar says he hopes Fiji’s relationship with Israel will remain strong regardless of any future change in government.
Speaking on The Fiji Times online portal The Lens @177 Mr Sa’ar said he did not want to speculate on Fiji’s political future or how a new government could approach relations with Israel as the country moved closer to the next general election.
He said Israel respected Fiji’s current elected Government and would continue to work with it while it remained in office.
“The friendship between Fiji and Israel is not only friendship between governments,” Mr Sa’ar said.
“And with regard to elections in friendly countries, I don’t want to interfere or to speculate. It’s for the Fijian people to decide.”
Mr Sa’ar said Israel’s engagement with Fiji was based on the current Government’s mandate and the relationship built between the two countries over the years.
He said Israel would also be heading to elections before Fiji, but he believed the people-to-people relationship between the two countries would continue beyond political changes.
“I believe the friendship between the people will remain. And we are taking steps to make it stronger.”
Mr Sa’ar said he wouldn’t even go as far as to speculate how a change in Fiji’s voting position at the United Nations could affect relations between the two countries.
He said Israel appreciated Fiji’s support, which he described as consistent over the years.
While Mr Sa’ar did not directly answer whether such a shift would change the relationship, he said Israel appreciated Fiji’s support, which he described as “consistent” even at the United Nations level.
“It (the ties) hadn’t began now. So I hope relations from both sides will remain strong.”
