Biden discusses normalisation with Israel, Iran threat with Abu Dhabi crown prince
SMA NEWS – Washington
US President Joe Biden, in a phone call on Tuesday with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, underlined the strategic importance of the normalisation of relations between the United Arab Emirates and Israel, the White House said in a statement.
Israel established formal relations with the UAE in September as part of a US-brokered agreement. The UAE and Israel share common concerns about Iran.
Biden and Prince Mohammed discussed “the nuclear and regional dimensions of the threat posed by Iran, as well as the common quest for de-escalation and peace” in the Middle East, the statement said.
Biden “underlined the strategic importance of the normalisation of relations between the United Arab Emirates and Israel,” it said. Biden “expressed his full support for strengthening and expanding these arrangements.”
Biden and the crown prince also talked about Afghanistan and the humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, the White House said.
The two leaders “discussed a number of issues and the latest regional and international developments of mutual concern, foremost of which are developments in the Arabian Gulf, Middle East and Horn of Africa regions, ” said Emirati news agency WAM.
It added that the two also addressed “the joint efforts to enhance peace and cooperation in the region in the interest of their peoples and their aspiration for stability and development, as well as supporting efforts to settle regional conflicts and crises through diplomatic and political means.”
The US president stressed “the strategic importance of establishing diplomatic relations between the UAE and Israel,” said WAM.
