Lawmakers from more than 30 countries gathered online on Wednesday to discuss cooperation on energy security issues in the framework of the Abraham Accords.
The event was hosted by the Amrican Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and the European Jewish Association (EJA).
It was the third such meeting of the Abraham Accords Interparliamentary Strategic Dialogue, which has focused on energy issues. The meeting was the largest yet in the series, in terms of the number of countries represented.
Speakers included German Member of the European Parliament Hildegard Bentele, who chairs the European Parliament Delegation for Relations with Israel, the US Senate Abraham Accords Caucus Co-Chairs, Senator James Lankford (R-OK) and Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV), the US House Abraham Accords Caucus Co-Chairs, Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL) and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), as well as Richard Goldberg, Senior Advisor to President Trump’s National Energy Dominance Council (NEDC), former Israeli Minister, Member of the Knesset Orit Farkash-Hacohen and Morocco Senate Vice-President and former Minister, Dr. Lahcen Haddad.
Participants included parliamentarians from Israel, Morocco, Jordan, Azerbaijan, Greece, Cyprus, Japan, Paraguay, Bahrain and several European Union nations.
“This dialogue is an important opportunity for Europe to engage with partners from the Middle East, the Caspian region, and the Eastern Mediterranean on the shared challenge of energy security,’’ said MEP Bentele.
‘’Lasting peace and regional stability require Israeli and Arab partners at the table – that’s why we welcome their active involvement in this exchange, including in the context of broader cooperation with our transatlantic allies,” she added.
Richard Goldberg said: “I’ve seen firsthand how the Abraham Accords are reshaping the Middle East, improving regional security, expanding economic opportunity, and creating people-to-people ties that make peace real and lasting.”