The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, spoke by telephone on Tuesday 26 May with the new Israeli Foreign Minister, Gabi Ashkenazi, inviting him to come to Brussels for an exchange of views with his European counterparts as soon as conditions permit.
According to a statement by the European External Action Service (EEAS), Messrs Borrell and Ashkenazi agreed to remain in “close contact”.
The High Representative recalled that the EU looked forward to continuing to work with the new Israeli Government “in a constructive and comprehensive way, in the spirit of the longstanding friendship that binds the EU and Israel together”. He stressed the EU’s willingness to continue bilateral cooperation and to “address jointly issues of mutual interest and concern”, also recalling the EU’s unequivocal commitment to “to the security of the State of Israel, which is not negotiable for the EU”.
The EU also intends to work with Israel to “promote global peace and security and to contribute to building trust, in particular in the region and the immediate neighbourhood”. The EEAS does not mention the peace process.
For his part, in a tweet, the Israeli minister welcomed “opportunity to have an open dialogue between the EU and Israel”, adding that these relations were important. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)