Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke together at a press conference in Germany on Thursday to address a variety of issues.

Netanyahu’s remarks were released in a statement from the prime minister’s office.

“Chancellor Scholz, and distinguished guests, I want to express my gratitude for our meeting today. It was a productive discussion that further reinforced our nations’ strong and enduring friendship. The friendship between Israel and Germany is rooted in a painful history. But it is also driven by shared hopes for a better future,” he stated.

“On behalf of the people and government of Israel, I want to express our sincere appreciation for your commitment to Israel’s security. I also want to thank you for your strong stance against antisemitism, which is an issue that should concern not only the Jewish state, but the entire civilized world,” he added.

Netanyahu also focused on partnerships in economic and technology issues during his speech.

“I look forward to working with you in the years ahead to deepen our economic relations. Israel and Germany are leaders in many economic areas, and combining our technology and our industry can propel both our countries towards a better future, a more prosperous future, for both our peoples,” he stated.

The prime minister also focused on the need for both countries to stand against Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons.

“Now, to create this better future for our peoples, we must stand together in confronting common dangers, and no danger is greater and of greater concern to Israel than Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons. We discussed together how Israel and Germany can work together to thwart that pursuit. This was a main topic of our discussion, because Iran is a regime that calls and works to destroy the one and only Jewish state,” he said.