Romanian-Israeli relations

Romania and Israel have a special relationship, with an important role being played by the past as well as current joint projects.

Ştefan Stoica, 04.11.2020, 13:50

The community of Israelis of Romanian descent is one of the most
important in that country in terms of its size and the contribution to the establishment
and development of the state. Romania and Israel are connected by a privileged
relationship, which was reiterated on Tuesday in Jerusalem by prime ministers
Ludovic Orban and Benjamin Netanyahu. This relationship is
reflected in the profound political dialogue, the intensification of economic
cooperation and consolidated cooperation in the areas of defence and security.

The two officials hailed the launch on 1st October of the Romania-Israel
working group in the economic area and encouraged concrete initiatives in areas
of common interest such as agriculture and water management, healthcare, high
technology and artificial intelligence. The heads of the two governments also spoke
about the possibility of the common production of a vaccine against Covid-19
and tackled the prospect of bilateral cooperation in the field of cyber
security. Prime minister Ludovic Orban:

In all our talks we discussed about the consolidation of relations
between Romania and Israel, about intensifying cooperation in many areas, both
defence and healthcare. It is well-known that the state of Israel has a high-performing
medical system, that it is extremely advanced in many branches of medicine, and
a cooperation in the area of healthcare, especially in the context of the pandemic,
is very useful. We also talked about concrete projects in this field, as well
as about cooperation in the field of agriculture and especially with respect to
improvements in the property sector.

A protocol for the modification of the bilateral convention to prevent
double taxation and fiscal evasion with respect to income tax was also signed
by the two prime ministers. The protocol is meant to contribute to promoting
direct foreign investments and stimulating trade exchanges. The Romanian prime
minister was received by the president of Israel Reuven Rivlin, who praised
Romania’s efforts to accept its past, promote remembrance of the Holocaust and
combat anti-Semitism and hailed the plans to build a National Museum of Jewish History
and the Holocaust in Romania.

The Romanian prime minister also had talks with the Israeli foreign affairs
minister Gabi Ashkenazi, during which he expressed confidence that the
normalisation of Israel’s ties with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrein and Sudan
will contribute to the stability and security of the Middle East. As for the
peace process in the region, the prime minister reaffirmed Romania’s support
for a comprehensive and sustainable solution based on the two-state solution,
Israel and Palestine co-existing in peace and security, the only viable option
that reflects the aspirations of both sides. The Israeli minister praised
Romania’s balanced and moderate position on this dossier.