Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Iurie Leanca is paying an official visit to Israel at the invitation of Israeli Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Avigdor Lieberman, Info-Prim Neo reports. According to a communiqué from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, the goal of the visit is to strengthen relations in different areas of joint interest. The visit started with a meeting of Iurie Leanca and the President of Israel Shimon Peres. The two officials discussed a wide range of subjects, including the prospects of diversifying the cooperation relations between the two states and the recent developments in the region as well as the Middle East Peace Process. Shimon Peres stressed the importance of coopering in areas of common interest, including in agriculture based on advanced technology, where Israel has a rich experience. While in Israel, Iurie Leanca met with the Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III, who blessed the visit of the Moldovan official to the holy land. Iurie Leanca also had a meeting with the Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Dan Meridor. The interlocutors conferred on the situation in the Middle East, Israel’s relations with Iran and Syria and the Peace Process. The visit marks 19 years of the establishment of Moldovan-Israeli diplomatic relations. Iurie Leanca will be in Israel until June 22.