Prime Minister's Office director general Harel Locker concluded a brief visit to Washington last night. During the visit, he held economic talks with top US officials as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's emissary.
Locker spoke with US Trade Representative (USTR) Michael Froman, who serves as President Barack Obama's principal advisor on international trade. The USTR is responsible for developing and coordinating US international trade issues and investment, and for negotiations in various forums with foreign governments. Israel is the first country that the US signed a free trade agreement with. Froman said that ties with Israel were strategic and steadily growing.
Locker also met David Thorne, an economic advisor to US Secretary of State John Kerry. In Locker's meeting with Senator Mary Landrieu (Democrat, Louisiana), who is due to chair the Senate Energy Committee, they discussed how Israel could benefit from US knowhow on the handling of natural gas, especially in the Gulf of Mexico. Landrieu emphasized the US's need to learn from Israel's experience in renewable energy and cyber.
In a speech on the Israeli economy to dozens of members of the US Chambers of Commerce, including CEOs, investors, and analysts, Locker said, "Israel believes in the US economy, which is showing signs of recovery. The task is to update the economic dialogue between the countries so it will be relevant to the contemporary growth engines of the Israeli economy."
Locker added "Israel is growing despite the global economic crisis. GDP per capita is $33,000. The prime minister and I believe in the power of the private sector, and the government role is to facilitate it, and to remove barriers."
Locker said that Israel was in the midst of an infrastructures revolution to link and hook up the country from north to south. He called on the conference participants to be alert to Israel's excellent business opportunities in infrastructures, high tech, cyber, natural gas, and R&D.
The Chambers of Commerce's head for Middle Eastern Affairs thanked Locker, saying, "American companies consider Israel as a source of inspiration."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on January 19, 2014
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