Iran, UAE hold 1st meeting of Joint Committee of Political Consultations
Iran and the United Arab Emirates held their first meeting of a Joint Committee of Political Consultations between the two countries, during which Iran expressed its readiness to strengthen cooperation with the UAE based on mutual interests.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi, who led the Iranian delegation in Abu Dhabi, reiterated Tehran’s foreign policy priority of fostering stronger relations with neighboring countries and highlighted the meeting’s role as a platform for advancing bilateral coordination.
He also stressed the need to accelerate the implementation of agreements reached between the two countries and explore new areas of cooperation to further solidify ties.
Iranian diplomat also referred to the regional developments and called for unity among Islamic nations in countering Israeli aggression in Palestine and Tel Aviv’s destabilizing influence in the region.
He pointed to the upcoming Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) foreign ministers’ meeting as an opportunity for member states to take a unified stance against Israeli-American plans for genocide and the forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza.
The Friday meeting was co-chaired by Takht-Ravanchi and Lana Nusseibeh, UAE’s assistant minister for political affairs.
For her part, Nusseibeh reaffirmed the UAE’s commitment to expanding comprehensive relations with Iran, expressing optimism that continued political consultations would enhance bilateral coordination and facilitate the effective implementation of agreements.
She also reiterated the UAE’s firm rejection of any plans for the forced displacement of Gaza’s population.
Both sides welcomed the progress made in joint economic, consular, and security cooperation, including the Joint Economic Commission, Consular Committees, and Coast Guard Cooperation Meetings.
They expressed readiness to accelerate the finalization of agreements and memorandums of understanding (MoUs) currently under discussion.
After China, the UAE has the largest amount of trade relations with Iran. The trade value of the two countries has reached 27 billion dollars.
Iran imported $20.8 billion of goods from the UAE in its last fiscal year ending in March 2024, making the latter Iran’s top source of imports according to the country’s Customs body. In the same period, the UAE was Iran’s top third export destination, with $6.6 billion worth of goods exported.