(Communicated by the Deputy Regional Cooperation Minister's Media Adviser)
 
Deputy Regional Cooperation Minister Ayoub Kara will, deoart tomorrow (Thursday, 25 February 2016) for Geneva where he will hold a series of meetings in order to advance the establishment of a regional training center for dealing with emergency situations and to consider the possibility of holding an international conference on regional cooperation with the participation of Israel and other regional states. Regional Cooperation Ministry Director General Hashem Hussein will accompany the Deputy Minister.
 
Deputy Minister Kara is due to meet with UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) Director Adam Bouloukos in order to discuss how Israel can contribute its experience and capabilities to assist UNISDR in countries in the region. UNISDR's regional office is based in Cairo. Deputy Minister Kara will present his plans for integrating Israel into UNISDR's regional and international activities, including the establishment of a regional training center.
 
Deputy Minister Kara will also call for the holding of a regional cooperation conference in Israel, with the participation of Arab states, in conjunction with HORASIS, in order to promote economic and commercial relations between Israel and other regional countries. To his end, the Deputy Minister will meet with HORASIS Chairman Dr. Frank-Jurgen Richter.
 
Deputy Regional Cooperation Minister Kara: "The knowledge and experience of the State of Israel in dealing with emergency situations make it a world leader. It is my intention to work towards sharing this knowledge in order to save lives in other regional countries and meet humanitarian needs. I am also committed to advancing commercial relations between Israel and its neighbors based on the conviction that all peoples of the region can benefit therefrom. If we join together the comparative advantages of the countries in the region we will be able to establish a leading economic bloc and contribute toward peace and stability for the comprehensive benefit of residents in the Middle East and beyond."