"The UAE is very interested and is ready to raise bilateral relations [with Iran] to the highest level in all areas by resolving some misunderstandings between the two countries," said Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in a meeting with the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani on Thursday in Abu Dhabi.
He expressed his satisfaction with Shamkhani's visit to the UAE, expressing hope for the expansion of Iran-UAE relations.
The UAE president also congratulated the recent agreement between Tehran and Riyadh, calling it a decisive step in the convergence of the countries of the region.
Referring to the bilateral relations as well as the cultural and religious commonalities between the two countries, Shamkhani, in turn, emphasized the necessity of expanding relations between Iran and the UAE in all fields.
The Iranian top security official considered the increasing trend of political and economic relations between Tehran and Abu Dhabi in recent years as positive and important, saying, "Iran and UAE can take great steps in expanding bilateral cooperation and strengthening neighborhood diplomacy."
Explaining the role of crisis-causing factors that threaten the security and stability of the Persian Gulf under the leadership of extra-regional countries, he added, "Attempting to achieve collective security based on indigenous capabilities can end many of the current crises."
Shamkhani termed the existing problems in the Persian Gulf mainly caused by the interventions of foreigners and the mischief of the US and the Zionist regime, adding that today the Islamic world and the Persian Gulf region need cooperation and convergence more than anything else.
Referring to the decisive will of the leaders of the two countries to comprehensively expand relations, he noted, "All internal and external obstacles on the way of bilateral cooperation [between Iran and UAE], especially economic and commercial cooperation, should be identified and quickly removed."
Earlier on Thursday, Shamkhani who departed Tehran at the head of a high economic, banking and security delegation, met with his Emirati counterpart, Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed al-Nahyan.
Shamkhani's visit to Abu Dhabi comes less than a week after Iran and Saudi Arabia announced the normalization of their ties following several days of hectic deliberations between Shamkhani and his Saudi Arabian counterpart in Beijing.
MNA/IRN85059334
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