Emirates FM lands in Israel on official visit, Tehran seeks closer ties with UAE

TEL AVIV/TEHRAN: Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Wednesday arrived in Tel Aviv on an official visit to the State of Israel.
The Foreign Minister traveled with a high-level UAE delegation on his visit, which will span several days and marks two years since the UAE and Israel signed the Abraham Accords.
During his visit, the UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation will meet with high-ranking Israeli officials to discuss a number of issues of mutual concern and matters related to UAE-Israel relations and the prospects for their cooperation and partnership. Meanwhile, Iran’s top diplomat said on Wednesday his country wants to boost relations with the United Arab Emirates, welcoming an Emirati ambassador back to Tehran after a six-year absence.
The UAE and other Gulf states had scaled back their ties with the Islamic republic in 2016 after Iranian protesters attacked Saudi Arabia’s diplomatic missions in Iran following Riyadh’s execution of prominent Shia Muslim cleric Nimr al-Nimr.
“We would like to broaden our relations with our neighbours, including the United Arab Emirates,” Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian told the new Emirati ambassador, Saif Mohammed al-Zaabi, when they met on Tuesday, according to an official statement released early on Wednesday. –Agencies