Israeli President awarded medal in Parliament

Israeli President Simon Peres awarded Gold Medal of Hellenic Parliament Israeli President Simon Peres was presented with the Gold Medal of the Hellenic Parliament for his contribution to the global community on Tuesday.   When presenting the medal, Parliament President Evangelos Meimarakis said it was a historic day for the Greek parliament due to the “honourable presence” of Peres, “a man who has contributed to peace in a region that has been sorely tried.”   Meimarakis added that cooperation among Greece and Israel is “a strategic choice for peace in the region” and unites their “sectors of energy, tourism, and culture.”   Peres said “"Greece does not only have a glorious past, but also a great future", as well as "a significant and prominent history imbued by a spirit of solidarity.”   "Our countries may be small, but they can become big, both in spirit and in science, for the building of a promising future in a world with such large changes to the point that it will be unrecognizable in 10 years," he continued.   After the ceremony, the Israeli President visited the New Acropolis Museum, where culture minister Constantine Arvanitopoulos hosted a luncheon in his honor. (AMNA, EM)