DUBAI: Israel’s top diplomat Yair Lapid opened the Jewish state s first embassy in the Gulf during a trip to the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday after ties were normalised ties last year.
“The opening of the Israeli Embassy in Abu Dhabi with the Emirati Minister of Culture and Youth,” he tweeted with a photo of himself and UAE minister Noura al-Kaabi cutting a ribon in the blue and white of the Israeli flag.
Israeli ministers have previously visited the UAE, but newly appointed Lapid is the most senior Israeli to make the trip, and the first to travel on an official mission.
“Israel wants peace with its neighbours. With all its neighbours. We aren t going anywhere. The Middle East is our home. We re here to stay. We call on all the countries of the region to recognise that. And to come talk to us,” Lapid said during the opening ceremony.
Since their US-brokered normalisation agreement was announced in August last year, Israel and the UAE have signed a raft of deals ranging from tourism to aviation and financial services. During his visit, Lapid will also inaugurate a consulate in Dubai.
