President Sheikh Mohamed meets Israel's Isaac Herzog in Abu Dhabi

Israeli president in the capital to take part in the Abu Dhabi Space Debate

President Sheikh Mohamed with Israel's President Isaac Herzog at Shati Palace in Abu Dhabi on Monday. Photo: Presidential Court

President Sheikh Mohamed met Israel's President Isaac Herzog and his wife Michal Herzog at Shati Palace on Monday.

Mr Herzog is in the capital to take part in the Abu Dhabi Space Debate, a global forum for the space industry, nations, business leaders and policymakers to consider issues facing growth and innovation in space.

Sheikh Mohamed and Mr Herzog discussed areas of collaboration to further their interest in promoting progress and stability across the region and exchanged views on issues of mutual concern, said news agency Wam.

The meeting highlighted the role of the Abu Dhabi Space Debate in facilitating dialogue between participants in the global space sector to explore opportunities for sustainable growth and collaboration.

They also spoke about the importance of boosting UAE-Israel co-operation in the space sector.

The meeting was attended by Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation; Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohamed; Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad, Special Affairs Adviser at the Presidential Court; and Mohamed Mahmoud Al Khaja, the UAE's ambassador to Israel.

The UAE and Bahrain became the first two Arab states to normalise relations with Israel after signing the Abraham Accords.

The agreements paved the way for ties between the UAE, Bahrain and Israel in all state sectors.

In May, the two countries signed the UAE-Israel Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.

According to UAE data, the agreement is expected to increase bilateral trade to more than $10 billion within five years and add $1.9bn to GDP in the same period.

The agreement builds on the exponential growth in trade and investment the UAE and Israel have enjoyed since the signing of the Abraham Accords.

From September 2020 to March 2022, non-oil trade surpassed $2.5bn, including $1.06bn in the first three months of this year — five times the total from the same period in 2021, according to official UAE statistics.