Sheikh Abdulla Bin Zayed’s Remarks at Secretary Blinken's Trilateral Press Availability

United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdulla Bin Zayed’s Remarks at Trilateral Press Availability

Hosted by U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken with Israeli Alternate Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid

Washington, DC (October 13, 2021) – Having us both here —me and my friend Yair Lapid in D.C.—shows the U.S.'s strong commitment to building bridges between two successful nations. Both are committed and devoted to further developing and changing the region's narrative, especially among our youth, towards a more positive one. Our entire effort towards the future should be based on making our people respect and admire successes in the region. Unfortunately, in the last few decades, we haven't seen many.

In embracing the Emirates and Israel, I believe the United States is telling the rest of the world that it is serious in changing the narrative in the region—thank you for that, Secretary Blinken. We in the UAE are very proud that in less than 50 years of our federation, we have managed to come to where we are today. We have created a nation that respects values and celebrates tolerance. I am sure that this will affect the region. I am sure that the more successful the UAE-Israel relationship is, the more it will encourage the region and the Israeli people and Palestinian people that this path works, that it is worth investing in, and is worth the risk. We are extremely impressed with our growing relationship with Israel, but we will always depend on the fact that we have a friend and partner in the U.S., which will excite us and will show us how to do things even better.

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