President, Ilir Meta, will attend the World Holocaust Forum in Israel on January 23 at the invitation of Israeli President Reuven Rivlin.
According to Rivlin, the purpose of the gathering is “to think about how to pass on Holocaust remembrance to generations who will live in a world without survivors, and what steps we must take to ensure the safety and security of Jews, all around the world.”
Rivlin sent dozens of world leaders personal invitations to the gathering, and nearly 50 accepted, including U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Prince Charles of Great Britain, King Felipe VI of Spain, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and French President Emmanuel Macron.
The logistics and coordination for the arrival of so many foreign dignitaries at one time required special preparation, including closing off one terminal of Ben-Gurion International Airport to all other air traffic. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz, whose ministry is responsible for all the arrangements related to the leaders’ visits, told that “this is the largest diplomatic event in the state’s history,” adding that “the foreign ministry is prepared.”