Israel, UAE discuss establishment of embassies

Foreign Ministry Director General Alon Ushpiz confirmed last night from Abu Dhabi that the Israeli and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) delegations are discussing the establishments of embassies. "Before arriving here [at the negotiation table] I met for over an hour with the foreign minister of the Emirates, and here we are with a team of their Foreign Ministry. We are talking mostly about two issues. We are discussing the signature of all of the agreements that will enhance cooperation between the two countries, and we are talking about the establishment of embassies."

Speaking to Israel’s public broadcaster Kan, Ushpiz said that the Israeli Embassy would be located in Abu Dhabi, and believes the UAE Embassy would probably be located in Tel Aviv. "The chemistry in these talks is completely different from other diplomatic discussions. What we have here are two sides that now meet officially, after more than 20 years of meetings behind closed doors. In my meeting with UAE Foreign Minister Anwar Gargash, as in the meetings here inside the room, what keeps being repeated is that 'we want to wrap this up quickly.'"