Israel’s new FM Eli Cohen to attend Abraham Accords summit in Morocco
'Only this past year trade between the countries that signed the Abraham Accords exceeded 10 billion shekels ($2,8 billion)'
Israel’s new Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said Monday that he plans to attend a summit in Morocco in March with partners from Arab countries that normalized relations with Israel under the U.S.-negotiated Abraham Accords in 2020.
Speaking during his swearing-in ceremony, Cohen - who took office last week as part of Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government - praised the Abraham Accords that “have dramatically changed the Middle East.”
“Only this past year trade between the countries that signed the Abraham Accords exceeded 10 billion shekels ($2.8 billion),” he stressed, adding that apart from the economic contributions, there were security benefits of the agreement as well as “the strengthening of the stability in the region.”
“Next week we are going to have a meeting between the heads of the ministries in Abu Dhabi in preparation for another foreign ministers’ summit that will take place in Morocco this coming March,” Cohen said.
On Ukraine, Cohen said Israel's new government will "talk less" and continue humanitarian aid.
The minister further underlined the importance of Israel’s partnership with the United States, which, according to him, will remain his office’s “top priority.”
Shortly after his inaugural address, Cohen spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken about expanding the Abraham Accords to include new countries and on cooperation to prevent Iran from achieving a nuclear weapon. Blinken congratulated the minister on his appointment and stressed Washington’s unwavering commitment to Israel’s security.