JERUSALEM, Feb. 24 (UPI) -- Israel "does not stand alone" in finding its way through the maze of crises and conflicts in the Middle East, Germany's top diplomat said Monday.
The remarks by Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier in an opinion piece on Ynetnews.com came at the start of talks between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and 14 government ministers and their counterparts in the Israeli government.
The meetings will discuss a range of diplomatic issues, Steinmeier said, noting "it has been a long and difficult road that our two nations have walked together in order to reach this point."
"The impact of this cooperation on the German and Israeli people will be felt in understandings we will sign on a consular level," the foreign minister said, such as allowing Israeli citizens to use the services of German consulates when they encounter trouble in countries without a diplomatic relationship with Israel.
The U.S.-fostered talks between Palestinians and Israel have also been a subject of discussion in European capitals, Steinmeier said. Combined with regime changes in its Arab neighbors and Iran's development of a nuclear program Israel has sometimes been left feeling "isolated and misunderstood."
"But Israel does not stand alone," he said. "Germany and Europe are important partners that act decisively for Israel's legitimization and its right of existence."
Steinmeier applauded Israel's agreement to be a part of negotiations with the Palestinian Authority, and encouraged Israeli leaders to "make the hard but necessary decisions."
