"The Arab spring has turned into winter. The Middle East has never been more volatile than it is now,’’ said World Jewish Congress President Ronald S.Lauder at a meeting of the young diplomats forum of the Israel council on Foreign Relations in Jerusalem.
The forum was the opening segment in the annual Executive Committee of the World Jewish Congress Conference which takes place this week.
"It is a pleasure to host so many young ambassadors here. In my days as an ambassador, I have learnt that very often, young diplomats are those who have ideas that are outside the box and can provide creative solutions,’’ Lauder said.
The ambassadors of the US, Russia and Germany to Israel, respectively Dan Shapiro, Sergey Yakovlev and Andreas Michaelis attended the young diplomats forum.
‘’To have these three countries, all which have a significant Jewish population and play an important part in the international arena here emphasizes the strong relationship they have with Israel," Lauder said.
The Russian ambassador to Israel said his country views talks between Israelis and Palestinians as ‘’a giant step forward.’’ ‘’Many steps have been made, and we feel that both sides are serious about the negotiations. We believe there will be results in the near future.’’
He added: ‘’We understand the security threats to Israel and we know both sides will have to go down a long and winding road. However, a solution is possible. There is much importance to the future of Jerusalem, specifically with the value of free and unimpeded access for the different religions."
Regarding Syria, Sergey Yakovlev stated: "Russian diplomacy works around the clock to find a solution to the situation and are pleased with the progress. Nevertheless, we must not forget other aspects of the Syrian situation. We are concerned about the Human Rights aspect, as the situation is complex due to many regions of Syria that are controlled by the opposition. We believe that the Syrian government will find ways to bring support to all the regions. Russia and the United States will deal together with this issue. Our joint goal is to help Syrians combat terrorism and extremism."