Argentina’s House Speaker Makes First Official Foreign Visit to the Knesset

For the first time in history, Argentina’s House Speaker Martin Menem paid an official visit to the Knesset on Monday, marking his first diplomatic trip outside Argentina since taking office in December 2023. He came to Israel with Sabrina Ajmchit, head of the Argentina-Israel friendship group, and met Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana in his office at the parliament.

The Knesset said the visit was an important milestone in relations between the two countries. In the guest book, Menem wrote that he was honored to be the first Argentine House Speaker to make an official visit to the Knesset, calling it a reflection of the “deep friendship” between the two peoples and adding, “with admiration and affection for the people of Israel.”

Ohana welcomed Menem warmly and thanked Argentina for its support. He told him, “All of Israel is united in gratitude to Argentina, one of our greatest friends in the world. We will always remember your steadfast support by our side in the most difficult times.”

The visit followed a previous meeting in Argentina in September 2024, when Ohana and Menem signed a memorandum of understanding between the two parliaments. That agreement was meant to deepen cooperation and broaden ties between the countries. After meeting Ohana, Menem and Ajmchit met with members of the Knesset’s Israel-Argentina friendship group, including Eitan Ginzburg, Moshe Passal, Alon Schuster, Shelly Tal-Meron and Dbi Biton.