Ambassador: ‘We"re working on organizing next meeting of Azerbaijan-Israel Intergovernmental Commission"

The next meeting of the Azerbaijan-Israel Intergovernmental Commission may be held in the near future, Israel's Ambassador to Azerbaijan Ronen Krausz said in an interview with Report.

"This is actually the most important mechanism that we have in order to promote economic ties. We're working very hard in order to organize the next meeting between the chairmen of the committee. And we're also working on the preliminary connections between the different ministries.

And I hope that this meeting will take place soon. And that the meeting, like in previous meetings, will allow us more infrastructure to continue the extended cooperation that we have, the ambassador noted.

As one of the examples, he mentioned the agreement between the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) and Israel regarding the acquisition of a 10% share in the development project of the Tamar gas field in Israel.

The ambassador appreciated this project and stated that it makes a significant contribution to the mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries:

"I think that this has become, I think, a great contribution to the relations that Israel and Azerbaijan has in the energy sphere. It's no longer only Israel buying or enjoying the energy products that are coming from Azerbaijan, but also Azerbaijan becoming more involved in the Israeli energy sector. And I believe that this is the first time ever that SOCAR has invested such an amount and has taken such a decision outside of Azerbaijan. And I think that by doing so with an Israeli company and Israeli reservoir, comes to show the strength of our relations."

The ambassador also underscored the significant role of cooperation between the two countries on green energy issues.

"Definitely the whole world of green energy is extremely important, especially now since we are facing climate change and need to find renewables and other sources of energy.

Israel has the technology, mainly in solar, less in wind, but mainly in solar, which we are very much willing and will be happy to share and to look for venues of cooperation with our Azerbaijani friends. I still recall the important meeting of the COP29 here in Baku. I was assisting the Israeli delegation who arrived from headquarters from Jerusalem.

And we had a very large delegation which arrived from Israel headed by two ministers. And I still recall the important discussions and sessions that were held here in Baku in which Israel also participated and contributed to. And I think that the whole issue of climate change and facing the challenges that climate change brings with it, both in energy, water, and other elements, I think that Israel has a lot to contribute," he stated.

"I think that there are a few sectors that Israel has identified here in Azerbaijan which we can definitely cooperate on. First and foremost, water technologies. Israel is a leading force in water technologies since we are located in a desert and we had to find solutions for the absence of water in our in our country and in our region, not only in Israel, but we are also assisting our neighbors with their water consumption.

And we can share this technology also with our friends. The Israeli technologies, which allows us to deal with the challenges that climate change and the needs of the population and the food security that are extremely important for countries," the ambassador added.

The previous meeting of the Azerbaijan-Israel Joint Intergovernmental Commission was held in Baku in April 2023, co-chaired by Azerbaijan's Minister of Economy Mikayil Jabbarov and Israel's former Foreign Minister Eliyahu Cohen.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the parties signed an Agreement on cooperation in the field of environmental protection, a cooperation program in the field of education for 2023-2026, a Joint Declaration on technological innovations between the Azerbaijan Innovation and Digital Development Agency and the Israel National Technology Administration, an Agreement on cooperation between the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan (SOCAR) and Israel's Union Energy company, and a Memorandum of Understanding between Azersu OJSC and Israel's national water company Mekorot.