Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman held talks on Monday with Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi as part of his two-day official visit to the State of Israel on the 23rd anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.
The two ministers agreed to sign a memorandum of understanding on a strategic partnership between the two ministries. Ashkenazi supported Croatia’s bid to join the OECD, in which Israel plays an important role.
The Israeli Government placed Croatia on the “green list” on August 16th, which increased tourist interest, the number of visits and tourist cooperation in general. Grlić Radman presented the measures the Croatian Government is taking to curb the COVID-19 pandemic. The minister congratulated his Israeli counterpart on the normalisation of relations with the United Arab Emirates.
Grlić Radman also met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Alternate Prime Minister and Defence Minister Benny Gantz, Minister of Tourism Asaf Zamir, and Speaker of the Knesset Yariv Levin, exchanging views on the situation in the Eastern Neighbourhood. Grlić Radman welcomed the announcement of new peace deals in the Middle East and underscored the importance of the Middle East Peace Process.
In addition, the talks revolved around the EU-Israel relations, the prospects of reinstating high-level dialogue and the importance of Israel’s participation in third-country programmes – Horizon Europe, Next Generation EU and Erasmus, as that would also enable stronger ties between Croatia and Israel.
Grlić Radman wrapped up his visit to Israel with a tour of the Yad Vashem Holocaust Remembrance Centre, where he lit the Eternal Flame and laid a wreath in the Hall of Remembrance.