Abu Dhabi, UAE – The UAE foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan discussed ways of enhancing cooperation between the UAE and Israel with the visiting First Lady of Israel, Michal Herzog on Wednesday.
Sheikh Abdullah affirmed the UAE’s keenness to strengthen the strategic partnership with Israel and advance bilateral cooperation in various fields.
Abdullah bin Zayed and First Lady Michal Herzog attended a concert by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra at the Emirates Palace Auditorium in Abu Dhabi last night, marking its first performance in the region.
Both the meeting and concert were attended by Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashemy, Minister of State for International Cooperation; Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Youth; Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and the Environment; Zaki Nusseibeh, Cultural Adviser to the UAE President; Lana Nusseibeh, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for Political Affairs and UAE Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN, and Mohamed Mahmoud Al Khaja, UAE Ambassador to Israel.
Israel and the UAE forged ties in the United States-brokered Abraham Accords in 2020, bringing over a decade of covert contacts into the open, and have seen their relationship flourish since then.
The UAE and Bahrain were the first Gulf states to enter into formal diplomatic relations with Israel.
In September, Sheikh Abdullah led a high-level UAE delegation on a visit to Israel to mark the second anniversary of the signing of the Accords.