SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Israeli President Isaac Herzog arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday on the first such visit, his office said.
The UAE, along with Bahrain, signed U.S.-brokered normalization agreements with Israel, dubbed the “Abraham Accords”, in 2020. The two Gulf states and Israel share common concerns about Iran and its allied forces in the region.
Herzog was greeted on arrival in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi by Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, according to Reuters.
He is seeking to strengthen Gulf ties at a time of heightened regional tension as world powers try to revive a nuclear deal with Iran.
“I will be meeting the leadership of the United Arab Emirates, at the personal invitation of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, the Crown Prince,” Reuters quoted Herzog as saying earlier.
“I wish him well and I am grateful for his courage and bold leadership, carving out a peace agreement with Israel and sending a message to the entire region that peace is the only alternative for the peoples of the region.”
President Herzog will also be meeting Jewish communities in the UAE, which is the region’s commercial and tourism hub.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett visited the UAE in December.
