The Ambassador of Israel in Bucharest, Reuven Azar, gave an interview to the AGERPRES National Press Agency, at the beginning of his mandate, in which he talks about the perspectives of collaboration with Romania in the field of security, especially defense technology, but also in agriculture, IT, constructions, renewable energy, healthcare.

The diplomat also referred to the current situation in the Middle East, his country’s relationship with the European Union and how the Israelis view Romania.

He highlighted the collaboration between Israel and Romania in the field of security as ‘unique’.

„What is unique about this relationship is that, unlike other countries, Israel does co-production with Romania. We don’t just sell, we cooperate in the field of technology, we do co-production. And every system that comes from Israel has been tested in combat conditions, comes with training, with methodology and it’s very particular. Israel is a different state from the rest, in the sense that we don’t sell large platforms, but we have advantages in specific fields – cyber, electronic warfare, anti-missile defense, aeronautics,” the ambassador says .

Also, Reuven Azar says that, in the last decade, the image of Israel has changed, from a country associated with the conflict in the Middle East with Palestine to a nation to which European countries come for economic cooperation.

„Europe is very important, an important partner for Israel. (…) The conflict is important and we have to solve it, but it cannot be a condition for the common interests we have. So we focus on the bilateral side, because many European countries come to do business in Israel,” the ambassador says.

Regarding the situation in Palestine, the diplomat says that there is „a crisis of leadership” there, and Israel does not have „a reliable partner in negotiations”.

„Ultimately, we have to create stability and we do this by supporting our neighbours economically as much as we can, and we also try to create the necessary conditions to resume, at some point, the negotiations. (… ) The main problem in the societies of many countries in the region is that, first of all, the political establishment is weak, and when there are elections, radical Islamists cope”, he adds.

The State of Israel, the ambassador announced, is willing to collaborate with Romania also in the field of agriculture, especially in terms of offering new technologies for farms and irrigation systems, but also in other sectors – green energy, hitech, healthcare, construction -, in which Israeli companies can bring foreign direct investments.

Agerpres