UAE President meets top Iranian security official in Abu Dhabi

United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed met Iran’s Supreme National Security Council secretary Ali Shamkhani in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, the official WAM news agency reported.

During the meeting, they discussed “bilateral relations and ways for the two countries to build bridges of cooperation in various fields for mutual benefit,” according to WAM.

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The two also discussed “regional and international issues and developments of mutual concern, and the importance of working to support peace and cooperation in the region,” WAM added.

Several senior Emirati officials attended the meeting, including National Security Advisor Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who held a separate meeting with Shamkhani.

“We should try to increase the security, peace and well-being of the people in the region through dialogue and interaction…while preventing foreigners from playing a non-constructive role,” Shamkhani said during a meeting with Sheikh Tahnoun, according to reports. IRNA News Agency.

Shortly before Shamkhani’s visit to the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Iran announced they had reached an agreement brokered by China to restore diplomatic ties.

Shamkhani represented Tehran at talks to reach the deal, which is Welcomed by the UAE.

The UAE sent an ambassador back to Iran in September, more than six years after Abu Dhabi downgraded relations with Tehran.

The UAE downgraded ties with Iran after Saudi Arabia cut ties with the Islamic Republic in 2016 after supporters of the Iranian regime attacked its embassy in Tehran and consulate in Mashhad.

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