Premium
Romanian Prime Minister Ludovic Orban said on Tuesday that the shared interest of Romania and Israel is to expand and deepen their dialogue in various areas of interest, noting that in his conversation with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu he will also discuss a next joint meeting of the two national governments, which is due to take place in mid-2021.
Orban is on a two-day visit to Israel and Palestine, Tuesday and Wednesday.
"I am very happy that this visit could be organised in an extremely difficult time, in which the health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic put us in extremely difficult situations and forced us to make difficult decisions. Romania and the State of Israel's shared interest is in expanding and deepening their common dialogue in different areas of interest, "Orban told a joint news briefing in Tel Aviv with his Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.
He expressed his gratitude for excellent co-operation with Israeli authorities on how to manage the pandemic.
"I remember our videoconference; it was very useful and very interesting to share the experience with the fight against COVID-19. Today, we will explore avenues to strengthen the already consistent and extended political dialogue, in addition to the health sector, out of a desire to develop economic relations and to strengthen our defence and security co-operation," Orban said.
The Romanian prime minister added that he will discuss with his Israeli counterpart the items to feature on the agenda of the Romanian-Israeli intergovernmental meeting in 2021.
"Romania will be very happy to host this very important meeting of the two governments, which I am sure will yield concrete results," Orban said.
He also mentioned the Romanian-Israeli economic working group launched a month ago that is already active in sectors such as agriculture, health, and technology.
"I also want to highlight the opportunity to develop a partnership for innovative entrepreneurial technologies and welcome the interest in joint projects in the energy sector," Orban said.
The Romanian prime minister assured his counterpart that Romania remains committed to the fight against anti-Semitism and hate speech.
At the end of the joint briefing, the two heads of government signed a protocol amending the convention between the government of Romania and the government of Israel to avoid double taxation and prevent tax evasion related to income taxes.
Orban and Netanyahu had a bilateral meeting.
Accompanying Orban on his visit to Israel were Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu, and Defence Minister Nicolae Ciuca.
