Chancellor Angela Merkel's forthcoming visit Israel to Israel will begin on Sunday 30 January 2011. This is the Chancellor’s third visit to Israel since 2007, a fact that testifies to the depth and strength of the bilateral relationship.  During the visit, a series of agreements and MOUs (Memoranda of Understanding) aimed at deepening the relationship as well as expanding it to include additional areas of mutual interest, such as industrial research and development and cooperation in providing aid to developing countries, will be signed.

Israel and Germany enjoy a mutually beneficial economic relationship. Germany is Israel’s third largest business partner in terms of imports and its eighth largest partner in terms of exports. During 2010, imports to Israel from Germany totaled $ 3.6 billion, while Israeli exports to that country amounted to $ 1.7 billion. The economic crisis of 2009 caused a general decline in the volume of trade, although it recovered in 2010.  The total cost of the volume of trade between the two countries increased from $4.4 billion in 2009 to $ 5.3 billion in 2010.

The MFA’s Agency for International Development Cooperation (MASHAV) cooperates closely with its German counterpart in the promotion of joint projects in developing countries. An irrigation and water management project is already underway in Ethiopia, and during Chancellor Merkel’s visit a declaration of intent regarding cooperation in Kenya in the Lake Victoria region will be signed.  An additional citrus growing project in Ghana is currently being examined, as well as the possibility of cooperation in central Asia.

An agreement between the two foreign ministries aimed at expanding the relationship between the young people of both countries and increasing the number of reciprocal visits by teenagers will also be signed during the visit. Strengthening the bond between Israeli and German youth is essential, as they are those who will secure the future of the special relationship.