Exports chief on Bahrain trade: Economic ties outweigh diplomacy

Israel Export Institute (IEI) chairman Adiv Baruch: "Israeli exports get to countries with which we don’t have formal relations."

By LAHAV HARKOV, HAGAY HACOHEN
From Left: Aryeh Lightstone, senior adviser to US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, Adiv Baruch, Chairman of the Israel Export & International Cooperation Institute, Bahrain’s Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism Zayed bin Rashid al-Zayani, Bank Hapoalim CEO Dov Kotler and Israel Manufactur (photo credit: Courtesy)
From Left: Aryeh Lightstone, senior adviser to US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, Adiv Baruch, Chairman of the Israel Export & International Cooperation Institute, Bahrain’s Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism Zayed bin Rashid al-Zayani, Bank Hapoalim CEO Dov Kotler and Israel Manufactur
(photo credit: Courtesy)
Economic ties help Israel reach countries with which it does not have relations, Israel Export Institute chairman Adiv Baruch said on Monday, a day before a trade delegation from Manama led by Bahraini Industry, Commerce and Tourism Minister Zayed bin Rashid Al Zayani is expected to arrive in Israel.
Zayani is expected to be accompanied by dozens of people from a range of areas of business, including the heads of Bahrain’s Tourism Board, Economic Development Board and Securities Authority, as well as private business leaders. During the three-day visit, Zayani is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Economy Minister Amir Peretz and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, among other ministers, and the delegation will take part in business-to-business meetings, as well as see an exhibit on Israeli innovation.
Eliav Benjamin, head of the Foreign Ministry’s Middle East section, called the meeting “very significant,” in that it “shows what we want to see in relations between these countries, promoting the real ties. That is real normalization, trade, meetings between ministers and businesspeople, flights and tourism… We are solidifying the relations.”
Baruch hailed the ability of economic relations to bring Israel closer to more countries.
“In our times, economic power relations outweigh diplomacy. Israeli exports in 2019 exceeded $114 billion (NIS 377 billion) and get to countries with which we don’t have formal relations,” Baruch said.
Baruch argued that the economy brings peace, and there is “a unique chance to change the economic regional structure.”
“World leaders realized we must leave behind outdated points of view and join forces with other countries for a better future for all,” he added.
Baruch praised Bahrain for realizing two decades ago that they must prepare themselves for a future that is not dependent on petroleum and began expanding its horizons.
Today, the Gulf state is a global financial powerhouse.
“Their post-petroleum strategy has been so successful that half the people who live there are expats busy developing the country,” Baruch said.
Baruch warned that “it is vital to be respectful of their needs and great achievements” and “not to rush off thinking Israelis will be able to find gold in the streets of Bahrain.” He voiced his strong belief in trust building up, slowly and if needed under the radar, so that great things could take place later.
“Our deeper interest,” he said, “is building long-term relationships in the region. To do that we must be very humble.”
“The great power of normalization is that it allows Israelis to do more with their Gulf partners than just answer immediate needs via a third party,” he said. “It allows us to build strategic partnerships.”


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