The Greek and Israeli governments aim to deepen cooperation in several sectors, including energy and tourism, and are planning to hold a joint conference in Thessaloniki next May bringing together members of the Greek and Jewish diasporas, Deputy Foreign Minister Dimitris Dollis said mid-week after talks with his visiting Israeli counterpart Danny Ayalon.

During their meeting the two men also discussed plans to hold a joint cabinet session, announced earlier this year. Plans for the initiative were announced following a visit in January by Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman — the first in 15 years -which followed a landmark visit in August last year by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Dollis said the two sides were trying to agree on dates. A key focus of Tuesday’s talks was cooperation in the energy sector, with Greece keen to operate as a hub for the transport of Israeli natural gas to European markets.

Source: Kathimerini