UAE-Iran Initiative to Boost Relations

Shaikh Abdullah and the Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to set up the commission and also discussed various issues of common interest and how best to boost bilateral cooperation.

With the new diplomatic initiative being hailed by both sides, Mottaki pointed out, “The creation of this (joint) commission is an important step in bilateral relations.” He was addressing a joint press conference in Teheran yesterday along with Shaikh Abdullah.

The UAE Foreign Minister, stressing on the historic ties between the two countries said, “We shall work with the maximum capacity to push these relations towards a horizon that would serve the interest of the two peoples.”

Attributing the signing of the MoU as, “one of the fruits of the visit to the UAE by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,” Shaikh Abdullah added, the new UAE-Iran bilateral initiative needs the concerted efforts of the leadership of the two countries to ensure it best serves the interests of the Emiratis and the Iranians.

Shaikh Abdullah was also scheduled to meet President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Kharamabad.

Given the fact that UAE is home to a large number of Iranian expatriates and is also Iran’s top trading partner, there can be little doubt that the latest political initiative will boost bilateral cooperation between the two countries across a wide spectrum of economic and other sectors. Iran’s bilateral trade with the UAE exceeded $14 billion in 2007 and the Iranian President during his visit to the UAE last year, it may be recalled, said “Our friendly relationship can be a model for the other countries in the region.”

Meanwhile, adding to the momentum of the growing bilateral relationship, His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, had said in Teheran earlier this year “…bilateral relations will rise to new horizons.”

His momentous visit in February this year signalled the start of a new, more dynamic, phase in UAE-Iran relations.