Azerbaijan Opens Tourism Office in Israel

Israeli Foreign Minister Ashkenazi. (AP)
Israeli Foreign Minister Ashkenazi. (AP)
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Azerbaijan Opens Tourism Office in Israel

Israeli Foreign Minister Ashkenazi. (AP)
Israeli Foreign Minister Ashkenazi. (AP)

Israeli Foreign Minister Ashkenazi said Azerbaijan’s decision to open a tourism promotion and a trade office in Israel is a boost to strategic alliance ties between the two countries.

It is also a step towards adding Azerbaijan to the Abraham Accords that already includes the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco, he stated.

“Azerbaijan is an ally, friend, and largest supplier of Israel’s energy resources. We will continue to work on the development of strategic ties with Azerbaijan and expand them in new areas,” Ashkenazi noted.

The Israel-Azerbaijan Joint Committee met virtually on Wednesday for talks on the promotion of bilateral relations and trade between the two countries. The committee had held its first meeting in 2018.

Earlier, Ashkenazi and Azerbaijan's Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov discussed “regional developments in the Middle East, and possible collaborations between the countries.”

The parties also exchanged views over the possibility of Azerbaijan’s recognition of the Israeli certificate of vaccination against coronavirus and the resumption of travel for Israeli tourists to Azerbaijan.

It was decided to advance a Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation in the health field, to establish an inter-ministerial working group in the field of agriculture, and an MoU for cooperation in the field of water and desalination.

In recent years, Azerbaijan has become an important tourist destination for Israelis with approximately 50,000 visiting per year, and the countries are currently in the advanced stages of preparation towards signing tourism and aviation agreements.



Vatican Cancels Pope’s Weekend Engagements as He Battles ‘Complex’ Infection 

Pedestrians walk past the statue of Pope John Paul II outside the Gemelli hospital where Pope Francis is hospitalized for tests and treatment for an infection in Rome, on February 18, 2025. (AFP)
Pedestrians walk past the statue of Pope John Paul II outside the Gemelli hospital where Pope Francis is hospitalized for tests and treatment for an infection in Rome, on February 18, 2025. (AFP)
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Vatican Cancels Pope’s Weekend Engagements as He Battles ‘Complex’ Infection 

Pedestrians walk past the statue of Pope John Paul II outside the Gemelli hospital where Pope Francis is hospitalized for tests and treatment for an infection in Rome, on February 18, 2025. (AFP)
Pedestrians walk past the statue of Pope John Paul II outside the Gemelli hospital where Pope Francis is hospitalized for tests and treatment for an infection in Rome, on February 18, 2025. (AFP)

Pope Francis, who began his fifth day in hospital on Tuesday for what doctors have described as a "complex" respiratory infection, will not take part in this weekend's Holy Year events, the Vatican said on Tuesday.

The 88-year-old pontiff has been suffering from a respiratory infection for more than a week and was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital on Friday.

A planned public papal audience set for Saturday had been cancelled "due to the health condition of the Holy Father", the Vatican said in a brief statement.

A papal mass scheduled for Sunday will still take place, but will be led instead by a senior Vatican official, it added.

The Vatican said on Monday that doctors had changed the pope's drug therapy for the second time during his hospital stay to tackle a "complex clinical situation". They described it as a "polymicrobial infection of the respiratory tract".

Doctors say polymicrobial diseases can be caused by a mix of viruses, bacteria and fungi.

Francis, who has been pontiff since 2013, has had influenza and other health problems several times over the past two years. As a young adult he developed pleurisy and had part of one lung removed, and in recent times has been prone to lung infections.