Herzog urges closer ties with Asian nations at Baku summit; meets Chinese FM

President Isaac Herzog calls for expanding Israel’s diplomatic and economic ties with Asian nations during his address at the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia summit in Azerbaijan.

“I say to all neighboring countries, to all nations in this region and in Asia, that Israel desires and strives to enhance collaboration and to broaden the circle of peace. But it must be clear: Peace cannot exist with terror, and cooperation cannot thrive with boycotts,” Herzog tells the summit of international leaders.

“Members of this institution have the right to live freely and peacefully, without their existence being constantly threatened,” he declares.

The president urges forging relationships based on “common interests,” hailing the success of the Abraham Accords normalization agreements, which he says show “how converging interests can transform political realities,” and nodding to the Bahraini and Emirati representatives in the audience.

“Israel has much to contribute to Asia here in the 21st century, in technology and science, water management and innovation, advanced agricultural practices, energy, tourism, fintech, healthcare, AI, and more,” Herzog continues. “We truly see ourselves as part of the Asian continent and want to contribute to it.”

When Herzog began his speech, representatives from Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, the Palestinian Authority and Kuwait left the hall. Qatari Emir Tamim Al Thani remained.

Following his speech on the sidelines of the summit, Herzog meets with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to discuss “bilateral relations,” with an emphasis on “economic, trade, and cultural ties,” according to Herzog’s office. He met yesterday with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdul Latif Al Zayani.