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UAE: The United Arab Emirates on Wednesday grew the first Gulf country to inaugurate an embassy in Israel, almost a year after both countries signed an agreement to normalize diplomatic ties.
The new mission is located in the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange building. The magazine was attended by the new Israeli president Isaac Herzog, reports The Times of Israel.
UAE Ambassador Mohammad Mahmoud Al Khajah officially handed over his papers at the beginning of March, but the official opening has not been held so far.
“It is an immense honour to open the embassy here. Ten months ago, our two nations confirmed the Abrahamic Agreements with a vision of dignity, prosperity and unity for the two communities,” Khajah said amid the ceremony on Wednesday.
He added: “This is just the beginning. Both countries are innovative countries and we will use these new approaches for the prosperity of the countries.”
Herzog, who took office last week, saw the opening of the embassy as an important step for the entire Middle East.
Last month, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid toured the UAE on the first official journey by an Israeli minister to the Gulf land, where he inaugurated the Israeli embassy in Abu Dhabi and a consulate in Dubai.
The visit appeared almost a year after Israel and the UAE announced that they would normalize relations, and after months during which organised visits by Israeli officials were stimulated by a range of issues, ranging from health crises to diplomatic conflicts.
Israel and the UAE declared in August 2020 that both would normalize diplomatic relations, which would reveal more than a decade of secret ties. Later, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco also joined the US-Abraham agreements, and according to other countries, they are also in talks.