Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta, who is on a semi private visit to Israel, met on Sunday morning with President Shimon Peres.

Ponta, 41, who has been in office for two years, told Peres that throughout Europe, a young generation of political leaders is taking over and bringing a new dynamic to their respective countries.

Ponta said that had last met Peres in 2004, when he had been a young politician, and Peres gave him some very sound advice. Ponta is a lawyer by training and his area of expertise is criminal law on which he has written extensively. He is also a former junior basketball star.

Referring to the unrest in Ukraine, and the instability in the region, Ponta told Peres that Romania is safe. It is economically sound and politically and diplomatically in a good position as a member of NATO and the European Union, he said, adding that it also has a special relationship with the United States.

Referring to Romania’s relations with Israel, Ponta said that Romania has a very positive attitude towards Israel.

“You can count on us for partnership”, he said, adding that he will be back soon on an official visit and will bring a large delegation, whose members will discuss a variety of agreements with their Israeli counterparts.

Peres said that Israel has a unique relationship with Romania, which was the only Communist bloc country that did not sever relations in 1967, and whose Jewish community remained active even under Communist rule.

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