Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi spoke at a conference in the Saudi capital on Wednesday, marking the first time an Israeli minister has spoken in the country.
“As demonstrated by the Abraham Accords, when nations converge on mutual goals, outcomes can be monumentally transformative.”
He thanked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Saudi leaders for “launching the blossoming ties between our nations.” Karhi also expressed gratitude to the people of Saudi Arabia for their hospitality, adding:
Our common respect for God and tradition can serve as a bedrock for harmony between our peoples.
The Communications Minister arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday at the head of a 14-member delegation that included David Bitan, chairman of Knesset’s Economic Affairs Committee.
“It is a great honor to represent the State of Israel in this historic visit to Saudi Arabia. It is especially meaningful to visit during the holiday of Sukkot, a time of renewal, gratitude and blessing in the Jewish faith.”
Last week, Tourism Minister Haim Katz became the first Israeli cabinet minister to receive an entry visa from the Saudi government. He arrived in Riyadh to attend a conference of the UN World Tourism Organisation and to mark World Tourism Day, celebrated annually on 27 September.
The ministers’ travels mark an improvement in relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby stated on Friday that Jerusalem and Riyadh had agreed on a framework of a possible US-brokered normalisation agreement.
All sides have hammered out, I think, a basic framework for what, you know, what we might be able to drive at.
The agreements mediated by the Trump administration in 2020 normalised relations between Israel and four Arab countries: The United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan.
