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Israel accepts NATO invitation to open office in Brussels

Xinhua, May 18, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Israeli Prime Minister's Office announced Wednesday that the country has accepted the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) invitation to open an Israeli office in the headquarters of the organization in Brussels.

"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last night spoke by telephone with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, thanked him for the invitation and said that Israel accepts the invitation," said a statement released by the office.

The move marks a warming of ties between the intergovernmental military alliance and Israel. Netanyahu said that Israel and NATO would "increase cooperation against both terrorist elements in the Middle East and common threats." He invited NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg to visit Israel.

On Tuesday, the NATO said it has agreed, after years of attempts by Israeli diplomats, to accept a request to open an Israeli mission at Brussels. The mission will be headed by Israel's ambassador to Belgium.

An official in the Israeli Foreign Ministry said the move of opening Israeli offices in the NATO organization headquarters points to an upgrade in the ties between Israel and the military alliance, and is one step in the way of possibly having Israel accepted to the organization as a non-member state and increase cooperation between Israel and the organization.

Israel had cooperated on various instances, mainly in military drills, with NATO, but does not have any standing in the organization. Tuesday's announcement may change that. Endit