Cyprus News Agency

President Herzog noted that Albania is unique as the only European country to have ended World War II with more Jews than it had at the beginning, saying: “This is a touching testimony to the deep friendship between our peoples and the courage of the Albanian people who refused to collaborate with the Nazis.”

He added that Albania and Israel are once again living out this ancient friendship in the modern world, stating:

“As a symbol of this friendship and in recognition of his courageous leadership and personal commitment in the fight against antisemitism, I had the great pleasure this evening of awarding Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama the Presidential Medal of Honor, Israel’s highest civilian honor.”