We are Working to Create the Triangle - SILICON VALLEY – TEL-AVIV – TIRANA

BY RUDINA HOXHA

On the 30th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between Israel and Albania, the Ambassador of Israel to Tirana, H.E. Noah Gal Gendler spoke with TRAILBLAZING MAGAZINE highlighting that they are working to do more things in a short span of time while he put the stress on the important of Albania’s going into the high-tech scene. The Ambassador states that due to the high-tech, Israel did not feel the impact of the world economic crises in the years that started in 2008.

“If you take into consideration the world economic crises in the years that started in 2008, Israel did not feel it. The economy grew by 4.5 % average every year. Why did it happen so? Because of the high tech. Even now, if we talk about this, I think that we lack over 100.000 people in the tech scene because, imagine, Israel cannot produce enough engineers and programmers and people like that for the industries,” Gendler said. According to the Ambassador, “we have to go into the high-tech scene.”

“I was Ambassador to Bulgaria and we assisted entrepreneurs to establish some 12-13 companies. Today I believe there are more. They worked as a triangle: Silicon Valley – Tel-Aviv – Bulgaria. The same can be applied here,” Ambassador Gendler said adding “The economy would profit because this would be an income generating aspect.”

In addition, the Ambassador is waiting for the moment when the first and the second Israeli major investment occurs, “then we will have a flow. This is the secret.”

Full interview below:

Last September Israel and Albania celebrated 30 years of diplomatic relations. How can you describe this moment?

According to my experience, I see immediately the difference between states that have 70 + years of relations with Israel and states that have 10, 20 or 30 years. And the difference exists here as well, especially taking into consideration the period before the establishment, i.e. the Enver Hoxha dictatorship and the confinement of Albania not only towards Israel but towards the entire world. There is a lot to be done. What I try to accomplish is to expedite the process because if we do not do it in the coming years, it might be too late for both of us. This is what we are working on. Of course, the initial instincts of the Albanians and Israelis vis-à-vis are very positive, very friendly, but it is not enough. If you want to keep these relations warm and ongoing, you have to do more things in a short span of time. This is our goal here.

“The secret is to listen to the Albanian demands to bring Israel in”

Mr. Ambassador, what are the most demanded fields of cooperation between the two countries so far?

Normally we talk about tourism and agriculture but my feelings as we discussed earlier is that we have to go into the high-tech scene as well and of course other types of investments like in construction.

The secret is to listen to the Albanian demands to bring Israel in. In a sense it is very easy. Because if you take into consideration the world economic crises in the years that started in 2008, Israel did not feel it. The economy grew by 4.5 % average every year. Why did it happen so? Because of the high tech. Even now, if we talk about this, I think that we lack over 100.000 people in the tech scene because, imagine, Israel cannot produce enough engineers and programmers and people like that for the industries. So, we go abroad. For that, we have two ways. One way is to bring people to Israel. We don’t like it. Better if people would stay in their own country and work. In the high-tech scene, there is no need to meet each other every day, instead you meet online. That’s what we plan to do. I have this experience because I did it when I was Ambassador to Bulgaria and we assisted entrepreneurs to establish some 12-13 companies. Today I believe there

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are more. They worked as a triangle: Silicon Valley – Tel-Aviv – Bulgaria. The same can be applied here. Of course, it takes time because you have to prepare the proper personnel, the right people. If we do so, the main achievement would be that the young generation will not leave the country anymore because they would have a very good job and a very good salary. Then, why should they go abroad? The economy would profit because this would be an income generating aspect.

Israel is very innovative even in health, one of the most demanded sectors right now given the ongoing pandemic. Do you think it is the right time to bring some Israeli experience in this aspect?

I am not aware about such efforts because to begin with, Albania is a very small market. We have a very developed scene of medical tourism and most of the people go to Israel for this. The scope of your question is not this, but viceversa. We are trying to do something but the market is so small that you have to have a very good starter. And there are some ideas like online medicine through which you get a second or a third opinion before you start a medical treatment.

This can be easily implemented. Israel has done it with many other countries.

We have some ideas on our minds. But I think that the point is to walk on the basement because the moment you have a startup atmosphere, let’s say, you have startups in many fields, like Fintech, Cyber, AI and others, then it is easy to push forward here and there. The moment you do not have this, then you think twice before you do something.

“But slowly we are trying to get out of this situation”

How has been this time for you Mr. Ambassador and what are your goals right now in your mission?

The time has been very difficult because of the pandemic and the earthquake before. But slowly we are trying to get out of this situation. The moment the conditions will be better, we will be able to bring more and more people to visit Albania and this is the number one priority: to bring tourists back and to bring businessmen to see Albania because there is a lack of knowledge about this country in Israel. Israeli people still see Albania as an enigma wondering what is this small country in Europe, but we should overcome it. My feeling is and I am sure about it, the moment we will have the first and the second major investment in this country, then we will have a flow. This is the secret.

We are satisfied with our past and our historical relations despite of the fact that both countries did not have diplomatic relations for so many years.

But if you judge by history, you see that the love and the courage of the Albanian people towards the Jews in very difficult days, when it was not very easy to take care, help and protect, encourage in my people and myself the feeling that we have to pay back. This is what we are trying to do. The secret is to find proper fields and areas where we can do so.

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