Anwar Gargash, the advisor to the Emirati president for diplomatic affairs, announced on Friday that the Gulf state is discussing the issue of appointing an ambassador to Tehran, following six years of reducing relations between the two neighbors, within the framework of a regional Emirati policy aimed at “de-escalation.”
“We are in the process of sending an ambassador to Tehran,” Gargash said, in his speech to reporters, reported by Archyde.com and AFP, prior to the visit of UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to Paris. “We are already discussing the issue of sending an ambassador to Iran.”
The Emirati official indicated that his country is seeking to rebuild relations with Tehran, adding that the confrontational approach with Iran is not something that Abu Dhabi supports, according to “Archyde.com”.
Anwar Gargash said that the UAE would not be part of an “axis” once morest Iran, although he said that “Tehran’s actions in the region do not help diplomatic efforts.”
But the Emirati official did not rule out that the UAE is a member of an alliance that protects it militarily, “without harming any other country,” according to “AFP.”
The UAE reduced its diplomatic representation in Iran in 2016 following Iranian groups stormed the Saudi embassy in the capital, Tehran, following the execution of the opposition Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr in the kingdom, according to “AFP”.
The UAE has maintained economic relations with Iran, and in recent months has sought to engage in dialogue with Tehran to resolve outstanding issues between the two countries, and visits have been exchanged.
The decision to consider sending an ambassador to Iran comes at a time when the influential Gulf state is working to build bridges with its regional rivals, including Turkey and Qatar, and has also established relations with Israel, which angered Tehran.
Gargash said, “The next decade cannot be like the last. In the new decade, the word de-escalation must be the basis.”
“The economy is one of the tools to create greater mutual confidence in the region. We must use the economy in various fields to push for a major political escalation,” he added.
This comes as the nuclear talks between Iran and the major powers are facing great difficulties.
The announcement of the intention to send an ambassador to Iran came as US President Joe Biden visited Israel before heading to Saudi Arabia on Friday.
Biden had pledged, in a security declaration he signed with Israel, Thursday, that the United States would use “all its national power” to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, which Tehran has repeatedly denied seeking to achieve.
