Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is on his first official visit to Australia, met early this morning with his counterpart Malcolm Turnbull, during which the two leaders signed bilateral agreements to enhance cooperation between Jerusalem and Sydney. That said, both Netanyahu and Turnbull emphasized the need to enhance cooperation between the two countries.
“We need to do more together. There is so much scope for co-operation we have the same values – democracy, freedom and the rule of law. We are combating the same enemies, terrorism, terrorists that seek to subvert those values and deny us our ability to live in a free society and we are both committed to the innovation which we know will drive the productivity, as you said yesterday, to take us out and to keep rising in aspiration, in achievement and prosperity.” / “I want to start with something very simple and narrow. Not only technology, not only cyber cooperation, not only R&D but actually, trade. Our trade is a billion dollars. It should be at least double or triple that. I’d like to encourage the Australian and Israeli companies to increase in trade,” said Turnbull.
Earlier in his visit, the Israeli leader met with the Jewish community in Sydney, during which he emphasized their significant role in the strong relations between Australia and Israel. Netanyahu also took the opportunity to signify a change in the Middle East, in which Israel’s Arab neighbors recognize the strategic value of the Jewish state that the Israeli leader said ‘was the answer’ to the chaos plaguing the region.