Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed a wide-ranging set of bilateral goals on Tuesday during their meeting in Jerusalem.
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Under what's called a Strategic Partnership memorandum of understanding, Canada and Israel agreed to a lengthy list of common interests to pursue.
They include growth in security and intelligence co-operation, enhanced defence and security relations, more business links and closer academic ties.
The memorandum the two leaders signed in Netanyahu's office also covers innovation, energy, international aid and human rights.
The goal is to build on bilateral merchandise trade between the two countries, which the Prime Minister's office says was worth $1.41 billion in 2012.
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Harper said in a statement that the memorandum "lays out a strategic direction for stronger future relations between the two countries."
"The many areas in which we both want to deepen and broaden co-operation is truly a testament of the goodwill between our two nations," he added.
Six federal cabinet ministers joined Harper at the meeting: Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, Employment Minister Jason Kenney, Industry Minister James Moore, Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver, Development Minister Christian Paradis and Trade Minister Ed Fast.
Canada is the 'polar opposite of Israel,' because it has 'much geography but very little history.'- Prime Minister Stephen Harper
Harper sat down with Netanyahu, who routinely refers to "Stephen" as a "friend of Israel," after a warm reception from Shimon Peres at the president's office.
After being welcomed by Peres on a red carpet in a courtyard, Harper entered an elegant vestibule and penned a lengthy message in a guestbook.
In his remarks, Peres said Harper is visiting during a challenging time, adding that "Syria is broken, Iran is broken."
Harper replied that every time he and Peres speak, he finds it "very thought provoking," and noted Canada is the "polar opposite of Israel," because it has "much geography but very little history."
He said they agree that the future is the knowledge economy and there is no better example of that than Israel.
Following his meeting with Netanyahu, Harper was scheduled to visit the Wailing Wall, the Dome of the Rock and the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum on the third day of his visit to the region.
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