Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hails the planned free-trade agreement with South Korea, saying it is Israel’s first such agreement with an east Asian nation.
“We’ve had free trade agreements with other parts of the world, with the United States, with Europe and elsewhere, but this is the first free-trade agreement we have with an Asian economy, and what an economy, a global leader, a vibrant, advanced economy,” he says in a meeting with South Korea’s Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee in Jerusalem.
South Korean Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee, left, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after signing a free-trade agreement between Israel and the Republic of Korea in Jerusalem on August 21, 2019. (Kobi Gideon/GPO)
It is not yet clear when the agreement will enter into force. Israel’s Economy Minister Eli Cohen announced earlier today that the negotiations have concluded.
Netanyahu says the agreement would go beyond economic ties. “Technological exchanges will give us a tremendous advantage in the future. The people of Israel are delighted with this increased cooperation between our two countries.”
South Korean Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee, left, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, center, and Economy Minister Eli Cohen, right, after signing a free-trade agreement between Israel and the Republic of Korea in Jerusalem on August 21, 2019. (Kobi Gideon/GPO)
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