Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Greek counterpart, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, hold a virtual toast to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of full diplomatic ties between their countries, May 21, 2020. Photo: Kobi Gideon / GPO.

Israel and Greece celebrated on Thursday the 30th anniversary of the establishment of full diplomatic relations.

In a joint statement, the presidents of the two Mediterranean neighbors, Reuven Rivlin and Katerina Sakellaropoulou, said, “Beyond strong political ties, this relationship has grown significantly over recent years in many sectors. We work together in the fields of economy, defense, science and technology, as well as culture.”

“As the Hellenic Republic and the State of Israel mark this important point in their relations, we are determined to continue to work in close cooperation and coordination,” they added. “Together, we will work for the advancement of friendship and partnership, further strengthening our unique ties in an ever-increasing number of areas of common interest, thus contributing to the prosperity of our broader region.”

As the Hellenic Republic and the State of Israel mark 30 years of full diplomatic relations, President Sakellaropoulou and I issued a joint declaration to continue to work in close cooperation and coordination to advance friendship and partnership between Greece and Israel ???? pic.twitter.com/L4Ff15FwDB

— Reuven Rivlin (@PresidentRuvi) May 21, 2020

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Greek counterpart, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, held a virtual toast to mark the occasion.

Among other matters, the two leaders discussed the restarting of flights between their countries following the coronavirus pandemic. Greece is a very popular destination for Israeli tourists.

“There’s a vast interest to visit Greece,” Netanyahu commented. “We would want to resume flights and tourism connections to countries that are in a similar situation as ours, the most obvious one is Greece and we are working on it now. This is the first good news that I can give you, I hope we can bring it to completion quickly.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a festive virtual toast, by video conference, with Greek Prime Minister @kmitsotakis, to mark 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Israel and Greece.https://t.co/HHSI4OIn8B pic.twitter.com/7eQPkWYYO4

— PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) May 21, 2020