UAE, Bahrain and Jordan hold tripartite talks

Our Correspondent

The leaders of the UAE, Bahrain and Jordan met in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi on November 18 to discuss regional developments and seek a comprehensive peace in the light of the Palestinian issue.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, Jordanian king HM King Abdullah II Ibn Al-Hussain and His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain held a tripartite summit in the presence of HH Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Bahrain.

The leaders underlined the importance of continuous coordination and consultation between the three countries regarding issues that are of common Arab interest. They discussed the latest regional and international developments, including the Palestinian issue and the need to achieve a just and comprehensive peace on the basis of the two-state solution. which guarantees the establishment of an independent, sovereign and viable Palestinian state on the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The leaders asserted deep-rooted and strategic fraternal relations between the three countries and discussed ways of bolstering them to achieve common interests. They also reviewed ways of boosting cooperation and integration in various vital sectors, mainly the health and food security fields. They discussed joint efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and handle its economic, health and social repercussions.

Bahrain’s Shura Council Chairman lauded the tripartite summit which reiterated the leaders’ unwavering stance towards the Palestinian issue and the establishment of an independence Palestinian state on the June 4, 1967 borders, with Al-Quds as its capital.

Relations with Israel

The UAE, Bahrain and Jordan have established diplomatic relations with Israel, the former two in recent months.

EL AL Israel Airlines, the national airline of Israel, and UAE national carrier Etihad Airways are set to explore deeper cooperation in aviation following the signing of a virtual Memorandum of Understanding. Etihad Airways plans to commence daily services between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv from March 28, 2021.

Bahrain and Israel have agreed to start operating commercial flights and initiate procedures to open embassies, based on the MoU concluded between the two countries for cooperation in the field of air services. The steps were announced during the trilateral session of talks held in Tel Aviv, in the presence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Bahrain Foreign Minister Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Alzayani, Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, and US State Secretary Mike Pompeo.