The event featured panel discussions and keynote presentations from government and business leaders, focusing on investments, ICT, shipping, maritime services, and logistics and was concluded with a networking lunch.

Participants were informed of Cyprus’ competitive advantages as an international business center and investment destination, an international ship-management center, and an emerging technology hub.

The Cypriot delegation was composed of more than 25 companies, representing a wide array of economic sectors.

The Forum was attended by more than 150 business leaders and company representatives from Israel.

The event was jointly organized by the Cyprus Ministry of Energy, Commerce & Industry, the Cyprus Embassy Trade Center (CTC) in Tel Aviv, the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce & Industry, the Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce, and the Cyprus-Israel Business Association.

Cyprus-Israel Business Forum 2022 – Agenda

Featuring panel discussions and keynote presentations from government and business leaders, focusing on investment funds, shipping, maritime services & logistics and ICT.

The event will be followed by a networking lunch.

The Cypriot business delegation will be headed by the Minister of Energy, Commerce & Industry, H.E. Natasa Pilides.

RSVP here: https://t.co/fSKY518wqx

Since the first edition of the newsletter was published, the world has been shocked by yet another war, one that is radically shifting geopolitical order as we know it. Acts of military aggression against Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, constitute a grave breach of the United Nations Charter and a blatant violation of fundamental principles of international law, peace, and security.

Diplomatic efforts undertaken by the international community to counter Russia’s aggression and to alleviate humanitarian impact on Ukraine, have a strong focus on the deployment of economic tools and means. This undoubtedly demonstrates the importance of economic and commercial diplomacy, regretfully under such dire conditions.

Forging and sustaining mutually beneficial economic ties with reliable partners, whilst committing to international law and global rules of trade must be safeguarded.

Moreover, the criticality of addressing food and energy security has become as evident as ever to nations worldwide.

Through the lens of Eastern Mediterranean & Middle East countries, the ever-growing bilateral and multilateral partnerships formed in the region, have already led to the establishment of several fora for dialogue and coordinated action.

The East Mediterranean Gas Forum (EMGF), the Cyprus Government Initiative for Coordinating Climate Change Actions in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East (EMME), the 3+1 cooperation mechanism (Cyprus, Greece, Israel & US), as well as other trilateral and multilateral formats allow for structured dialogue and joint actions to take place.

Furthermore, opportunities for expanding corridors of energy, telecommunications, transport, and trade are further strengthened by the normalization of relations stemming from the Abraham Accords.

The strong multifaceted ties between Cyprus and Israel, leveraged by regional partnerships with like-minded countries in the region, allow for swift and effective coordination on addressing common critical challenges.

Energy

• Advance the commercial exploitation of proven Levant basin natural gas reserves.
• Optimize and fast-track necessary infrastructure development, to provide for the energy needs of the region, the EU and other international demand. This includes gas transportation networks, electricity interconnections as well as renewable energy technologies for generation and storage.

Food

• Boost investment in the FoodTech sector, enable the commercialization of alternative protein and functional ingredients solutions
• Pool resources and build on respective strengths in areas such as aquaculture
• Establish effective foodwaste management systems
• Develop supply chain synergies in securing critical food commodities
• Adoption of AgriTech solutions to increase production yields and reduce land use and water consumption

Trade

• Further develop maritime and land transport networks to improve interconnectivity, reliability, and competitiveness of trade routes
• Introduce policies & implement measures to improve market access for products in scarcity, encourage specialization in specific categories of industrial raw materials and agricultural & processed food products and achieve productivity improvements

The Israel-Cyprus Chamber of Commerce is an important stakeholder in forming and developing commercial relations, improving investment flows, and most importantly promoting people to people contacts between Cyprus and Israel. Private sector engagement is essential for enabling actions in the areas discussed above (and more).

The Cyprus Trade Center in Tel Aviv welcomes recent activities to revitalize and strengthen the Chamber, including and not limited to; the reinforcement of its Board, the expansion of its members base (both in numbers and profile diversity), the initiative demonstrated in presenting recommendations and planning events, as well as the enhancement of its communications strategy.

We look forward to continuing and reinforcing our close collaboration in advancing economic ties, facilitating business, and promoting friendship between Cyprus and Israel.

Sincerely,

Sofronis Papageorgiou

Head – Cyprus Trade Center, Tel Aviv

Israel-Cyprus Chamber of Commerce Newsletter – April 2022

Deadline: Monday, 5 April 2021 19 April 2021 (closing time 16:30, Tel Aviv time)

Vacancy notice available for download below:

Opportunities in the areas of maritime transport, energy transition and commercialization prospects for tech research.

Check out the interview here: https://cyprus-mail.com/2020/09/30/cyprus-israel-uae-israel-bahrain-accords/

Check out the interview here: https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3847748,00.html

Key message: ‘The Cyprus Trade Center (CTC) in Tel Aviv encourages Cypriot businesses, especially those active in food & beverage to look into exporting goods to Israel’.

Check out the article here: https://www.financialmirror.com/2020/05/02/covid19-cyprus-shelves-kosher-export-plans/

Having brokered the agreement between the two Associations, the Head of CTC Tel Aviv, Sofronis Papageorgiou, hosted a business dinner for Palestinian business leaders in Ramallah, marking the attainment of this significant milestone, resulting from our on-going efforts to advance and promote economic relations between the Cypriot and the Palestinian business communities.

Attendees included the Chairman and the General Manager of the Palestinian Federation of Business Associations, as well as distinguished representatives of investment/financial institutions (Palestinian Investment Fund, Arab Islamic Bank), business associations (Palestinian Information Technology Association of Companies, Jenin Businessmen Forum) as well as the corporate arena, spanning a variety of sectors; investments, renewable energy, iron & steel, ICT, health, food & beverage and trading.

During the event, the guests were briefed on the economic and investment landscape in Cyprus and had the opportunity to share views on future actions stemming from the establishment of the Joint Business Council, to pinpoint specific commercial opportunities, as well as to address challenges in assuring the effectiveness and ease of doing business on either side.

Deadline: Sunday, 10 November 2019 (closing time 23:59, Tel Aviv time)

Vacancy notice available for download below:

On 10 October, the delegates met with the Deputy Secretary General of the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce & Industry (CCCI), Mr. Leonidas Paschalides, with whom they had the opportunity to exchange views on economic sectors of mutual interest and to discuss commercial prospects in the Cypriot market. The two organisations also assessed specific actions for strengthening bilateral economic cooperation.

Subsequently, as facilitated by the Department of Services & Trade of CCCI, the delegates followed an intense programme of B2B meetings with the participation of 15 Cypriot companies. The participants represented a variety of sectors and interests, including and not limited to; construction, renewable energy, engineering advisory and architectural services, ICT and outsourcing services, industrial equipment trading, FMCG trading, financial and legal services, media as well as investments in the areas of hospitality and real estate.

In the evening, the delegates were welcomed to a business dinner, hosted by the Head of CTC Tel Aviv, Mr. Sofronis Papageorgiou, in the presence of the Palestinian Ambassador to Cyprus, H.E. Mr. Jubran Taweel and high-ranked officials from the Cyprus Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Energy, Commerce & Industry and CCCI.

On 11 October, the delegates joined a breakfast meeting with the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Energy, Commerce & Industry, Dr. Stelios Himonas.

During the meeting, a constructive exchange of views was held with an aim to identify priority areas on which joint initiatives may be planned and rolled out, ultimately delivering mutual economic benefit to our respective business communities. Moreover, the Permanent Secretary elaborated on the government’s policies in what concerns supporting and encouraging international companies and investors to establish presence and operations in Cyprus and briefed on the role of the Ministry of Energy, Commerce & Industry in promoting and facilitating such commercial endeavours.

Moreover, the region’s thriving research and innovation scene, with a plethora of academic/research institutions and innovation centres provides a great platform for promoting cooperation initiatives in the domain.

A first step in reaching out to the regional community was taken on 24 September 2019. In collaboration with the Haifa Municipality a working visit of the Ambassador of Cyprus to Israel, H.E. Thessalia Salina Shambos and the Head of the CTC Tel Aviv, Mr. Sofronis Papageorgiou was organized.

Site-visits and targeted meetings were held with:

• The Haifa Economic Corporation, which is the city’s development arm, holding responsibility for a wide array of major economic projects, delivering commercial, social and environmental benefits to its people
• The Haifa Port, serving as a regional partner to Cypriot ports and maritime businesses, for both commercial and leisure activities
• The Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Haifa and the North, leading economic development in northern Israel and facilitating business opportunities for an impressive range of industrial and commercial member-organisations
• The Haifa Municipality, leading local policymaking and rolling out collective initiatives for the benefit of its citizens, including -and not limited to- economic development.

Following the meetings, the CTC Tel Aviv hosted a business lunch with leaders from local authorities and the business community leading to a constructive exchange of views on ways of advancing multi-sectoral cooperation between our respective countries.

We had the pleasure of hosting the Deputy Mayor, the President of the Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Haifa and the North, the President of the Chamber of Shipping of Israel, the Director of the Administration of Shipping & Ports (Transport Ministry), Directors of various public and private entities, such as the Haifa Port, the Haifa Economic Corporation, The Golda Meir Mount Carmel International Training Center (MCTC), MATI Haifa and representatives from VC firms.

Focus areas included maritime, trade and research and innovation. Without losing sight of strategic endeavours, several short-term and mid-term actions were identified.

We look forward to work hand-in-hand with the aforementioned stakeholders, as well as others, to deliver mutual economic benefit to our respective countries.

The Cyprus Delegation for 2019 was composed by representatives from the Economic Diplomacy Department of the Cyprus Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the IDEA Accelerator/Incubator, the ARIS Accelerator, the Cyprus Telecommunications Authority (CYTA), the Research and Innovation Foundation and a high number of inspirational young entrepreneurs, (co-)founders of startups. Participating startups: Able Book, ACF Atokes, Activitygogo, BLCP, ForPeople, Fundscribe, Meera, M&I Join my Wifi, Shelvino, Slim Payments, Stampi.

DLD Tel Aviv Innovation Festival is an international event, promoting innovation in the region and beyond. It aims to boost international cooperation, facilitate collaborations and partnerships, connect young talent to multinational corporations and provide opportunities for young entrepreneurs to learn, to expand their horizons, to network and to develop new ideas.

During the days of the Festival, the city of Tel Aviv is filled with satellite events, promoting Israeli innovation in culture, music, food and arts.

2019 was another busy and successful year for DLD, hosting an impressive number of over 28,000 Festival participants, including 9,020 Conference participants (50% from abroad) whilst hosting more than 100 corporate events (by tech giants and others) and giving the opportunity to more than 150 startups to showcase their work and to several national delegations to be hosted and to present at the National Pavilion.

Attendees included representatives from the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce, the Israel Export and International Cooperation Institute, the Manufacturers’ Association of Israel, the Israel Innovation Authority, the EU Delegation in Israel, the Israel-Cyprus Chamber of Commerce, the Cyprus-Israel Business Association, JETRO Israel and the Embassies of Egypt, Argentina and Ecuador in Israel.

The event provided an excellent opportunity to reflect on this year’s achievements and to exchange views with our trusted partners on advancing economic ties between Cyprus and Israel, but also on promoting regional and international cooperation in the areas of trade, innovation, energy and investments.

We would like to express our most sincere gratitude to all of the attendees for their valuable contribution, input and support.

Adam is the wine writer for The Jerusalem Post and has been writing his Wine Talk column since 2010.

A great thank you goes out to Evoinos for organizing and leading the visit, but also for its excellent work in promoting Cypriot wine internationally.

As an outcome of the visit, Cypriot viniculture and wines are featured in a series of articles in Adam’s column.

Wine Talk: The Essence of the Eastern Mediterranean (published: 3 October 2018)

Wine Talk: Message in a Bottle (published: 29 November 2018)

This comes as a great follow-up to the commencement of Cypriot wine exports to Israel in 2018.