Jerusalem/New Delhi, Oct 19,2021: Signalling a new four-way cooperation between India, Israel, the US and UAE, their foreign ministers held a virtual meeting during which they discussed working closely together on key economic and global issues, especially in the Middle East and Asia.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who is in Jerusalem, along with his Israeli counterpart Yair Lapid, joined US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, in a virtual conference on Monday to discuss cooperation on issues including trade, combating climate change, energy cooperation, and maritime security.
Jaishankar in a tweet said the four ministers discussed working together more closely on economic growth and global issues and agreed on expeditious follow-up.
“A fruitful first meeting with Israeli APM and FM @YairLapid, UAE FM
@ABZayed and US Secretary of State @SecBlinken this evening.
“Discussed working together more closely on economic growth and global issues. Agreed on expeditious follow-up,” he posted.
Blinken in a tweet said the meeting focused on “shared issues of concern in the region and globally, and the importance of expanding our economic and political collaboration”.
The US State Department, in a readout, said the four ministers “discussed expanding economic and political cooperation in the Middle East and Asia, including through trade, combating climate change, energy cooperation, and increasing maritime security”.
The four ministers “also discussed people to people ties in technology and science, and how to support global public health in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Secretary of State Blinken “reiterated the Biden Administration’s support for the Abraham Accords and normalization agreements and discussed future opportunities for collaboration in the region and globally”, the readout said.
The meeting comes a year after the signing of the Abraham Accords and signals the keenness of Israel and the UAE to make the most of their new cooperation along with like-minded countries, the US and India.
US State Department spokesperson Ned Price, answering a question on the meeting at a briefing on Monday, said, “This is a collection of four countries, the US, the UAE, Israel and India, with whom we share many interests.
