For the first time, an Israeli Cabinet minister has made an official visit to the United Arab Emirates – as part of the IRENA conference on renewable energies.
Minister of Infrastructures Uzi Landau, a hard-line former Likud member who now represents the Yisrael Beiteinu (Israel Our Home) party, is participating in the Preparatory Commission of IRENA, The International Renewable Energy Agency. He addressed the agency’s third session taking place today (Sunday) in the capital of the UAE, Abu Dhabi.
“The fact that I have been invited is evidence that we can have genuine cooperation in the region regarding common interests,” Landau said before he left.
In his speech, Landau invited the participants – many of whom were Arab country representatives – to take part in next month’s conference in Eilat dealing with advanced water technologies.
“We have the desire to share our experience in this field with those who share this problem [of water shortage] with us,” Landau said. “The conference will take place not far from here, in the desert city of Eilat. I hope I will have the honor of seeing many of you visiting our country in the second half of February.”
The first time an Israeli flag was officially unfurled in the United Arab Emirates was three months ago, when two Israelis – from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Infrastructures – took part in IRENA’s preparatory council for today’s conference. They were joined by representatives of 70 other countries.
IRENA is an intergovernmental organisation focusing on renewable energies, concentrating on alternative energies in both industrialised and developing countries. Its overall goal is to effect a rapid transition towards the widespread and sustainable use of renewable energy worldwide. Some 115 countries, including Israel, are signatories on the founding charter, but only eight have ratified it thus far, including Germany and Norway. Twenty-five ratifications are needed for the organization to gain official international status.