Dr Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to President Sheikh Mohamed, on Thursday stressed the importance of keeping lines of communication open with Iran to help the region emerge from months of conflict.
Dr Gargash said the recent meeting between Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian at the Brics summit in New Delhi served to highlight how voices of reason were key to restoring peace and stability.
At the Arab media Summit in Dubai, the senior diplomat emphasised that "the future cannot be built" until hostilities cease.
He said in the talks between Sheikh Khaled and the Iranian leader there was an "agreement that the page must be turned".
"We will protect our interests when necessary," said Dr Gargash. "But there will also be communication with the Iranian leadership of course, particularly with President Pezeshkian, who has made several statements.
"Perhaps his statements have been the most rational among those made by Iranian officials throughout this ongoing crisis.
"He was among the first to criticise the policy of attacking Gulf states, and among the first to call for Iran to stop attacking Gulf states.
"We must also say that this is a rational voice and that protecting our interests during a time of crisis is essential."
Attacks on Saudi Arabia pose a threat to UAE security
During his address, Dr Gargash also said that attacks on Saudi Arabia represented a direct threat to the security and prosperity of the UAE.
Dr Gargash was referring to a reported Houthi attack targeting Makkah on Tuesday evening, in which a drone was intercepted and destroyed before it entered the holy city's airspace.
“The security and prosperity of the UAE is directly connected to the security and prosperity of Saudi Arabia,” Dr Gargash said.
He addressed the threat posed by Iran-backed militia groups acting without official government backing. “Weapons outside the hands of government will make the country [Iran] unstable,” said Dr Gargash, adding that armed militias attacking Middle East countries are being directly influenced by Iran.
The prosperity of the region is closely connected to how the Iran war is resolved and how relations are repaired in its aftermath, he said. “We are still in a crisis and leaving this crisis with minimum damage is a must,” Dr Gargash told the summit.
Dr Gargash said Iran's decision to attack neighbouring Gulf states was a strategic mistake. “Iran needs to look at the GCC [Gulf Co-operation Council] with a different view than the one that led to the catastrophic decision to attack Gulf countries. The first step is to stop the attacks as you can't negotiate a new future while still attacking.”
