In phone blitz, Foreign Minister Cohen speaks with five European counterparts
Britain’s top envoy accepts invitation to visit Israel; minister also talks with peers in Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Estonia, discusses improving ties and regional issues
Newly installed Foreign Minister Eli Cohen has held a series of phone calls with counterparts in Europe, discussing regional issues and plans to improve ties, his ministry said in a statement Tuesday.
Over the past two days, Cohen spoke with the foreign ministers of the United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, and Estonia.
During a conversation with UK Foreign Minister James Cleverly, Cohen thanked Britain for opposing a resolution proposed by the Palestinians in the UN General Assembly requesting the International Court of Justice to weigh in on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Israel’s continued control over the West Bank.
Cleverly also accepted an invitation to visit Israel and may come as early as next month. The two diplomats also discussed strengthening the “excellent relationship” between their countries and other issues, the statement said.
Earlier Tuesday, Cohen spoke with his Austrian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg, discussing their common desire to expand the Abraham Accords and “the possibilities inherent in this process.” The US-sponsored accords, signed in 2020, normalized relations between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain. They also led to normalization steps with other Arab nations.
Speaking to Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra, Cohen talked about improving relations in the areas of trade, culture, innovation, and science, the statement said.
On Monday night Cohen spoke with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock about the special and unusual relations between the Jewish state and Germany, which is “historically based on the memory of the Holocaust and countless areas of cooperation,” the statement said. Cohen stressed to Baerbock that Israel sees Germany as a strategic partner.
Earlier, Cohen held a call with Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu and recalled that last year the two countries marked 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between them.
Cohen took over the Foreign Ministry last month with the formation of the new government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Last week he spoke with both the US and Russian top envoys. He is set to speak by phone on Thursday with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
The Times of Israel Community.