Israeli PM meets UAE FM to mark 2nd anniversary of diplomatic ties

Jerusalem, Sep 16 (IANS) Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid met in Jerusalem with visiting Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan to mark the second anniversary of the normalisation of ties between the two countries.Lapid met Sheikh Abdullah for a one-on-one meeting, which was followed by an expanded meeting with teams from both sides, according to a statement from Lapid's office on Thursday.The UAE Foreign Minister arrived in Israel on Wednesday with a delegation that included three other government ministers, Xinhua news agency reported."We are changing the Middle East together. We are moving it from war to peace, from terrorism to economic cooperation, from a mess of violence and fanaticism to a dialogue of tolerance and cultural curiosity," the Israeli Prime Minister said.Israeli President Isaac Herzog hosted Sheikh Abdullah for an official luncheon in the afternoon at the President's residence in Jerusalem.The UAE Foreign Minister told Herzog that the deal to normalise diplomatic ties between the two countries in 2020 was "historic".On Thursday, Sheikh Abdullah also visited Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem."We must take a brave step to build a bridge of real peace for future generations," the UAE Foreign Minister wrote in the guest book.The trip is Sheikh Abdullah's second visit to Israel since the UAE and Israel decided to normalise ties in September 2020.The UAE and Bahrain signed US-brokered agreements to normalise their ties with Israel in September 2020. The move was followed later by Sudan and Morocco.
--IANS int/khz/

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