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Tel Aviv [Israel], December 5 (ANI/TPS): Secretary-General of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Mathias Korman is in Israel. On Monday, he met with Israel's President Isaac Herzog, its Foreign Minister Eli Cohen and its Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
President Herzog said, "Israel is a proud member of the OECD. Even in these challenging times, our economy is resilient as the whole country is mobilized in our efforts to return the hostages, and remove the threat of Hamas." Israel Foreign Minister Cohen said that in his meeting with Mathias Korman the two talked about promoting regional projects, with an emphasis on cooperation with the Abraham Accords countries (the four Arab nations that made peace with Israel under the Accords from 2016). The Secretary-General offered the organization's assistance in dealing with the challenges of the war, and expressed that he expects strong growth next year. "Israel entered the war with a solid economy, and past experiences prove that times of war are followed by high growth," said Cohen. "In addition, we expect increased immigration to Israel from around the world, which will also contribute to the Israeli economy." Cohen thanked Korman for his "trust in the Israeli economy, and for supporting our just fight against the terrorist organization Hamas!" Finance Minister Smotrich expressed similar sentiments. The Minister thanked the Secretary-General for his "unreserved" support for Israel and his "clear condemnation of the terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7." Smotrich said that it is important that the OECD adopt Korman's condemnations of Hamas as its official position. "The war on terrorism is the task shared by the entire western world and the economies of the developed countries," added Smotrich. "We all have the duty to burn evil and fight terrorism for a safe and prosperous world." (ANI/TPS)
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