Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett will travel to the United Arab Emirates to meet the Gulf state’s de facto ruler, in the first-ever visit to the UAE by an Israeli prime minister.
Bennett will depart for the high-level public visit on Sunday and will meet Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan on Monday, Bennett’s office said in a statement.
The leader will discuss “deepening the ties between Israel and the UAE, especially economic and regional issues,” the statement said. “This is the first official visit by an Israeli prime minister to the UAE,” it added.
There was no immediate confirmation from the UAE.
The two countries formalised relations last year as part of a US-brokered agreement known as the Abraham Accords. The agreement has led to a raft of deals ranging from tourism and business to cutting-edge technology.
The meeting comes against the backdrop of struggling nuclear talks between world power and Iran. Underpinning UAE-Israel ties is a shared concern over Iran’s nuclear reach in the region.
Credit: Aljazeera.com
