Commerce Official Promotes Trade with Israel and Bahrain as Part of Aerospace and Defense Trade Mission

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 15, 2022
Contact: Office of Public Affairs
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WASHINGTON - Today, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Global Markets and Director General of the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service Arun Venkataraman concluded a U.S. Department of Commerce trade mission to Israel and Bahrain, where he promoted U.S. aerospace and defense companies seeking commercial opportunities in those markets and discussed new opportunities for increased trade and investment across the region created by the Abraham Accords. As part of the visit, the Assistant Secretary also traveled to the United Arab Emirates for a series of meetings with Emirati officials and the business community.

"The United States is a global leader in the aerospace and defense sectors, which together accounted for over $100 billion dollars in exports in 2021 alone, directly supporting 480 thousand jobs nationwide," said Assistant Secretary Venkataraman. "The American aerospace and defense industries are at the cutting-edge of technological innovation and solutions. This trade mission reaffirms the U.S. commitment to developing new opportunities for increased bilateral trade and investment that further deepen our strategic relationships to promote peace and stability across the region."

Aerospace and Defense Trade Mission to Israel and Bahrain

Between November 6-10, Assistant Secretary Venkataraman led 10 small and medium-sized American companies representing an array of aerospace and defense technologies on a trade mission to Israel and Bahrain to showcase the U.S. government's support for these two key sectors. The Assistant Secretary and trade mission delegation also participated in the Bahrain International Air Show, where the Assistant Secretary championed U.S. leadership in the aerospace sector.

In addition to his leadership of the trade mission, Assistant Secretary Venkataraman also met with several Israeli and Bahraini government officials to discuss opportunities for the U.S. aerospace and defense industries to deepen U.S. trade ties across the region.

United Arab Emirates

Following the trade mission, Assistant Secretary Venkataraman traveled to Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates to strengthen this important trade and investment relationship with a series of engagements with Emirati government officials and representatives of the U.S. and UAE business community. Over the course of the visit, the Assistant Secretary held discussions on U.S.-UAE cooperation on the digital economy and cross border data flows, clean energy technologies and the COP 28 U.N. climate conference to be held in the UAE in November 2023, ITA's clean tech trade mission to the UAE in March 2023, and the SelectUSA Investment Summit to be held May 1-4 in Washington D.C.

About the International Trade Administration
The International Trade Administration (ITA) at the U.S. Department of Commerce is the premier resource for American companies competing in the global marketplace. ITA has more than 2,200 employees assisting U.S. exporters in more than 100 U.S. cities and 80 markets worldwide. For more information on ITA visit www.trade.gov.

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