President Nicusor Dan on Monday welcomed at Cotroceni Palace the President of the State of Israel, Isaac Herzog, who was on a state visit to Romania together with Israel's First Lady, Michal Herzog.

The Romanian head of state was accompanied by his partner, Mirabela Gradinaru, at the official ceremony on the Marinescu Plateau.

The two officials will have one-on-one talks, official talks and an official lunch. There will be a joint news conference at noon, according to the Presidential Administration.

'The visit of President Isaac Herzog is part of the excellent dynamics in the bilateral relations and reflects the common commitment to strengthening cooperation between the two states, an ambition reconfirmed by an increased frequency of high-level contacts in recent years. The moment highlights the solidity of the relationship between Romania and Israel, based on extensive political and economic cooperation and deep interpersonal ties,' the Presidential Administration said on Saturday.

Featuring on the agenda of the talks of the two heads of state will be ways to develop and deepen bilateral relations in all areas of common interest, with a focus on the development of economic partnership and cooperation in security and defence.

Sectoral cooperation will also be addressed, including education about the Holocaust and measures to combat anti-Semitism in Romania, as well as the development of cultural exchanges and people-to-people contacts.

Particular attention will be paid to recent developments in the vicinity of Romania and in the Black Sea region, as well as in the Middle East, with a focus on their impact on the security of the two regions and the global economy.

In the afternoon, Herzog will be welcomed by the Chairman of the Romanian Senate, Mircea Abrudean, and by the Speaker of Romania's Chamber of Deputies, Sorin Grindeanu.

Later in the afternoon, Hertzog will deliver a speech to the Romanian Parliament, gathered in a solemn session, to which the heads of the diplomatic missions of the European Union member states, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova residing in Bucharest, as well as the Embassy of the State of Israel are invited.

Herzog and his wife arrived in Romania on Friday to participate in the 12th edition of the March of Life in Iasi, an event organised to commemorate the victims of the Iasi Pogrom of June 1941. AGERPRES (RO - editing by: Oana Ghita; EN - writing by: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu)