KIGSTON, Jamaica (CMC) – Prime Minister Andrew Holness has invited Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu to pay an official visit to Jamaica.

Holness, who is in Israel on a three-day official visit, has been meeting with Netanyahu in Jerusalem where they discussed possibilities for cooperation in water, agriculture and domestic security.

“Jamaica, like Israel, is a strong democracy, and we have long admired the advances that Israel has made in technology, in particularly in cyber security and in agriculture, and in other areas. The potential for cooperation between our two countries is great and Jamaica is very interested in exploring those areas of cooperation,” Holness said.

“The Jamaican people and the Caribbean region is a zone of peace, and we wish peace for all the peoples of the world. And we do extend our sympathies to the people of Israel for the very unfortunate attack on your soldiers recently.

“We would want to also pursue with Israel economic cooperation. I believe that in building strong economies, we can build a peaceful world.”

According to Netanyahu, this is the first visit ever by a prime minister of Jamaica to Israel — “so it has a double significance for us”.

“Our relations are always friendly. We appreciate the fact that you didn’t join the recent vote against Israel, the absurd vote in UNESCO. But quite beyond that, we’re talking about extending our cooperation. We just did for just a brief few minutes that we spoke; I can see all the potential for cooperation in a variety of fields that relate to economy, to security, to technology. This is something that we eagerly are interested in doing with you.

“There is a natural affinity between us. We’re both democracies. We each have our own challenges, but we flourish under challenge. And we’ll be able, I think, to provide a better future for our people if we cooperate, and this visit is a hallmark of cooperation.

“You also invited me to come to visit you and I intend to do that sometime in the future, but I want to tell you how much we appreciate the fact that you’re here, and I look forward to our discussions,” the Israeli prime minister said.