Iran’s Salehi discusses bilateral ties with UAE officials

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi has held talks with senior Emirati officials to discuss ways of enhancing bilateral relations and issues of mutual interest between Tehran and Abu Dhabi.

Salehi met with United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Mansur bin Zayed Al Nahayan, who also holds the presidential affairs portfolio, on Monday and reviewed the means to bolster ties between the two countries.

UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan was also present in the meeting.

Salehi also discussed issues of mutual interest with UAE Vice President and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is also the ruler of the Persian Gulf emirate of Dubai.

Earlier in March, in a meeting with his Emirati counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Tehran, the Iranian minister said that the mutual relations would serve the interests of Iran and the United Arab Emirates.

He further said that the growing relations between Iran and the UAE demonstrated the resolve of the two countries’ officials to strengthen amicable ties.

Emirati cabinet members in April affirmed Abu Dhabi’s keenness to maintain good neighborly relations with Tehran, according to the Emirati news agency, WAM.

The UAE statesmen also emphasized that a balanced, peaceful approach in dealing with the issue of three Iranian islands of the Greater Tunb, the Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa in the Persian Gulf is essential to bolstering the future relations with Iran, and overcoming the issues that hinder the development of the ties between regional nations.

The islands of the Greater Tunb, the Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa have historically been part of Iran, the proof of which can be found and corroborated by countless historical, legal, and geographical documents in Iran and other parts of the world.