UAE's National Security Advisor Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan received head of Israeli intelligence, Mossad, Yossi Cohen in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
Sheikh Tahnoun praised the efforts being made by Cohen, which, he said, had contributed to the success of the agreement to normalize relations between the UAE and Israel.
He said the accord would contribute positively to achieving peace in the region and opening up new opportunities for bilateral cooperation in several fields.
Sheikh Tahnoun affirmed that the UAE is committed to the principles of peace and tolerance. as well as promoting diplomacy that will contribute to the enhancement of stability in the region.
"The UAE will spare no efforts in delivering that goal," he stressed.
He noted that rapid scientific and technological progress required a "sincere quest for best possible practices and expertise" from various countries to ensure a better future for the people in the region.
Cohen’s visit is the first public visit made by an Israeli official to the UAE since US President Donald Trump announced that the UAE and Israel had agreed to normalize ties last Thursday.
The UAE-Israel deal is expected to be signed in the coming three weeks, making the UAE the first Gulf country and third Arab state to normalize ties with Israel. Israel has agreed to freeze its annexation plans for parts of the West Bank in exchange for the deal with the UAE.
UAE’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr. Anwar Gargash said the Arab stances towards the UAE-Israel peace deal did not offer anything new.
“Attitudes towards the Emirati-Israeli peace treaty have not witnessed anything new at the Arab level. Rational and objective dialogue about the most important issues is still far away,” he tweeted.
“On the other hand, we find that every active capital and a prominent international figure praised and blessed the treaty, and appreciated this strategic transformation. The losers from this shift are the brokers of political issues,” he said in another tweet.
Gargash wrote that "ties with Israel bring change that will help the Arab world overcome the (Palestinian) Nakba and civil wars."
