Celebrating three quarters of a century
An excerpt of the speech by H.E. Ambassador Hagit Ben-Yaakov on the occasion of the 75th independence of the State of Israel:
"Israel became a sovereign, democratic home for the Jewish nation. A nation of immigrants from all over the world, we harnessed the strength of multiculturalism and built one of the most innovative societies in the world.
During 75 years, through talent and hard work, Israelis put a small country at the forefront of the global economy. Israeli inventions have changed the way people around the world live, and our startups lead the way in areas as different as medicine, ICT, agriculture, - even space.
As for Israel and Finland, as two relatively small nations, we have had to be resilient, creative and brave. We have excellent cooperation in, for example, the economic, cultural and defense technology fields. We can be very proud of the results. We have flourishing startup communities and cutting-edge technology,and we do this while being happy, or at least while being in the top five chart of the happiest countries in the world.
As we celebrate tonight, let us renew our commitment to the principles of democracy, equality, and justice that are the foundation for both Israel and Finland."
00330 Helsinki, Finland