Foreign Minister Israel Katz attended the UN Climate Change Summit, which was held in Abu Dhabi between 30 June – 1 July 2019. This is the first visit of a senior Israeli government minister to an Arab country since the Bahrain Conference.  

 

Within this framework, FM Katz met with UN Secretary-General António Guterres and raised the issue of the Israeli POWs and MIAs. 

FM Katz also met with a senior representative of the United Arab Emirates. The two discussed regional issues and relations between the two countries, as well as the Iranian nuclear threat, its missile development program, its support of regional terrorism, and Iranian violence against regional interests. 

In addition, discussions were held regarding joint activities aimed at promoting bilateral economic relations in various fields, such as advanced technology, energy, agriculture and water. Within this framework, FM Katz presented the Railways to Regional Peace initiative, intended to establish an economic and strategic connection between Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States, via Jordan, to the Israeli railway network and its Mediterranean ports.

At the end of his visit, FM Katz said: “I am excited to represent the interests of the State of Israel vis-à-vis the Gulf States here in Abu Dhabi. This represents a significant escalation in the relationship between Israel and countries in the region. Together with Prime Minister Netanyahu, I will continue to promote the policy of normalization from power that we are leading, based on Israel’s capabilities in the fields of security and intelligence as well as in various civilian spheres. I view this as one of my major challenges as minister of foreign affairs, and I intend to promote this policy in the future as well.”