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.
