Israel: High Representative/Vice President Josep Borrell in phone call with new Foreign Minister Eli Cohen
European External Action Service (EEAS)
12.01.2023
Brussels
On Thursday, High Representative/Vice President Josep Borrell held a phone conversation with new Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen.
In this first constructive exchange, the HR/VP expressed his and EU's wish to build on the recent momentum in EU-Israel relations, following October's resumption of the Association Council after a ten-year pause, and a number of recent high-level visits.
Israel is one of the EU's closest partners in the Middle East, and there are a number of global challenges we need to face together, not least Russia's brutal war of aggression in Ukraine, including Russia's military cooperation with Iran.
The HR/VP welcomed Israel's normalisation of relations with a number of Arab countries, reiterated the EU's willingness to support this development and expressed the hope that this will have a positive impact on the Middle East Peace Process.
He reiterated the EU's support for the two-state solution, and the need to restore a political horizon to resolve the conflict. In light of current developments, the HR/VP also recalled known EU positions on the need to avoid unilateral actions and expressed strong concerns about the high number of victims.
The HR/VP and Foreign Minister Cohen agreed to meet at the earliest possible opportunity to continue their dialogue in person, possibly at the Munich Security Conference in February. The HR/VP also invited Minister Cohen to Brussels.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
