Parson to visit Israel, Greece, UAE for trade mission

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Gov. Mike Parson and the first lady will visit Israel, Greece and the United Arab Emirates for a trade mission, the Republican announced Monday.

Parson will be overseas for 10 days beginning Thursday to build new trade partnerships and strengthen existing relationships.

Missouri's top exports to the countries include fabricated metal and aerospace products for Israel, communications equipment for the United Arab Emirates and scrap and paper products for Greece.

Concerns about the spread of coronavirus scuttled Parson's last two planned trips to Israel and Greece. His first trip was scheduled for March 2020. He canceled another trip planned for December 2021 after Israel barred all foreign visitors because of concerns about the omicron variant of the virus.

The not-for-profit Hawthorn Foundation is paying for the trip.