2 yıl önce

UAE to send ambassador to Iran to resume duties in 'coming days'

The UAE Foreign Ministry said the move was in line with efforts to bolster bilateral ties with Iran while also looking at the interests of the wider region.

AP

The UAE's announcement comes exactly a week after Kuwait restored its ambassador to Iran.

More than six years after downgrading its diplomatic ties with Iran, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has announced that its ambassador will resume his duties in Tehran "in the coming days.”

In a statement on Sunday, the UAE Foreign Ministry said Ambassador Saif Mohammad Al Zaabi will be heading to Tehran in the coming days to assume the new diplomatic assignment.

The ministry said the move was in line with efforts to bolster bilateral ties with Iran "to achieve the common interests of the two countries and the wider region.”

The announcement comes exactly a week after Badr Abdullah Al Manikh took over as the new ambassador of Kuwait to Iran.

The new Kuwaiti envoy submitted his credentials to Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian in Tehran on August 14.

The talks to restore full diplomatic ties with both UAE and Kuwait gained momentum last year after the new government led by Ebrahim Raisi was elected in Iran.

Bridges of co-operation

The two Arab countries downgraded their relations with Iran and recalled their ambassadors following the storming of Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran in January 2016 in the wake of the execution of the prominent Shia cleric Nimr Al Nimr in Saudi Arabia.

In December 2021, four months after the new Iranian Cabinet was formed, UAE's national security adviser Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan visited Tehran and held talks with top Iranian officials, including Raisi.

During their meeting, Raisi told the visiting official that his government's priority was "improving ties with regional countries" while emphasising bolstering the security of the Persian Gulf region.

Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, in a tweet at the time said Sheikh Tahnoon's visit to Tehran was part of "UAE’s efforts to strengthen bridges of communication and co-operation in the region which would serve the national interest.”

In May, Raisi also called for restoring Iran's relations with Kuwait to their "full capacities" in a phone call with Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah.

Last month, Iran's top diplomat in a television interview announced that the two neighbouring countries would be introducing their ambassadors to Tehran soon, culminating months of efforts from both sides.

SOURCE: AA