“Today, I would like to ring the bell for partnership, for true friendship,” the president said.
By World Israel News Staff
President Reuven Rivlin opened the day’s trading at the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) in Sydney on Tuesday.
He spoke with the business delegation headed by Chairman of the Israel Export Institute that is accompanying his visit
At the ASX, the president rang the bell as is customary at the beginning of every trading day next to Richard Holiday Smit, Chairman of the ASX, and said, “Today, I would like to ring the bell for partnership, for true friendship! Friendship that overcomes enormous distance, lands and oceans, time zones, cultures and differences in traditions.”
“Our special relations go back years, even before establishment of the State of Israel. However, when it comes to business, it seems like we have just begun our cooperation, and we are far from fully realizing its great potential, he added.”
“The Israeli and Australian business communities should continue to cooperate in the fields where we face similar challenges, such as water conservation and agriculture. We should, moreover, consider the differences between us as complementary features that might allow us to learn from and help each other,” he said.
The president expressed his hope that the double taxation avoidance treaty signed recently between the two countries will allow further broadening of business cooperation.
CEO of the ASX Dominic Stevens spoke about the economic relations and trade between the two countries, saying “The Sate of Israel is one of the most dynamic and innovative countries.
“Israel’s nickname of ‘start-up nation’ was well-chosen. In recent times, delegations from the ASX have visited Israel dozens of times and we proudly support a number of key Israeli technology conferences in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv,” he said.
“Today, we have 21 Israeli companies listed on the ASX whose value is over $AU1.2bn, and Israel is one of the three leading countries in foreign listings on our exchange. The relationship between Australia and Israel is deep and wide and we are proud that it includes the growing involvement of our two capital markets to the benefit of both our economies. Thank you for visiting. It is a great pleasure to welcome you, Mr. President.”
Chairman of the Israel Export Institute Adiv Baruch mentioned concerns about the impact of the coronavirus on the meeting.
He said, “I want thank all the Israeli companies who did not cancel their journey from fears about Corona. This delegation is deeply significant for the relationship between our countries and we are deepening economic links with every company that takes part.
“We have much more that we can do together and I hope that this delegation, like other delegations that have accompanied your overseas visits, Mr President, will be a gateway for Israelis to the Australian world,” he said.