UAE | Government

UAE-Iran ties at new high

The UAE and Iran on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at establishing a joint committee to deal with several political and economic issues affecting relations.

  • Gulf News Report
  • Published: 23:43 October 29, 2008
  • Gulf News

  • Image Credit: WAM
  • Shaikh Abdullah and Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki signing the Memorandum of Understanding in Tehran on Wednesday.

Tehran: The UAE and Iran on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at establishing a joint committee to deal with several political and economic issues affecting relations.

The visit by Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister, was a follow-up to the 2007 agreement between President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, visited Tehran in February this year.

Shaikh Abdullah and his Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki discussed bilateral cooperation between the two countries in various fields.

"The memorandum is one of the fruits of the visit by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to the UAE in May 2007," Shaikh Abdullah said during a press conference.

Ahmadinejad's visit last year was the first ever by an Iranian head of state since the formation of the UAE in 1971.

Shaikh Abdullah stressed the historic ties between the two countries, as the UAE worked to push these ties to a higher level.

"The step requires efforts by the leadership of both countries, and we must spare no effort to push the relations towards wider horizons in the best interests of both peoples," Shaikh Abdullah said.

Mottaki expressed satisfaction with the setting up of the joint committee, which he described as "an important step" for cooperation between the two countries.

Shaikh Abdullah was scheduled to meet Ahmadinejad on Wednesday.

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