Brussels: Europe and the Arabs

European Foreign Policy Coordinator Josep Borrell held a telephone conversation with the new Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen.According to a European statement distributed in Brussels on Thursday evening, Borrell expressed a desire to build on the recent momentum in relations between the European Union and Israel, following the resumption of the Association Council last October after A ten-year hiatus, and a number of recent high-profile hits. .

"Israel is one of the European Union's closest partners in the Middle East, and there are a number of global challenges that we need to confront together, not the least of which is Russia's brutal war of aggression in Ukraine, including Russia's military cooperation with Iran," the European statement said.

Borrell welcomed Israel's normalization of relations with a number of Arab countries, and renewed the European Union's readiness to support this development, expressing his hope that this would have a positive impact on the peace process in the Middle East.

He reiterated the European Union's support for the two-state solution, and the need to restore the political horizon to resolve the conflict. In light of current developments, the EU foreign policy adviser also referred to the well-known EU positions on the need to avoid unilateral actions and expressed his strong concerns about the large number of casualties.

Borrell and Secretary of State Cohen agreed to meet as soon as possible to continue their dialogue in person, possibly at the Munich Security Conference in February. The European official also invited Minister Cohen to visit Brussels.