Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid inaugurates Embassy in UAE

Foreign Minister of Israel Yair Lapid inaugurated its embassy in the United Arab Emirates, nine months after both nations signed a normalization deal.

Yair Lapid during his two-day official visit to the UAE met with his Emirati counterpart, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed and other senior officials in the capital.

“Israel wants peace with its neighbours – with all its neighbours. We aren’t going anywhere. The Middle East is our home,” Yair Lapid said during the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Abu Dhabi high-rise office serving as a temporary embassy.

“We’re here to stay. We call on all the countries of the region to recognize that and to come to talk to us,” he said.

Both leaders discussed building on the accords to achieve peace and strengthen security in the region. They signed an agreement for economic and commercial



cooperation.

He also thanked former US President Donald Trump and current US President Joe Biden for their uncompromising support.’’ I thank our former Foreign Minister, Gabi Ashkenazi, who planned and built this visit,’’ he added.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken welcomed the opening and said, “will continue to work with Israel and the UAE as we strengthen all aspects of our partnerships and work to create a more peaceful, secure, and prosperous future for all the peoples of the Middle East”.

Yair Lapid yesterday visited the site of Expo 2020 Dubai, a world fair opening in October where Israel has built a pavilion to check on the progress of the pavilion & discuss how it will serve as a platform to establish cooperation in the Arab world. Yair Lapid’s visit, however, comes just weeks after a new government in Israel was formed.