Israeli, Emirati foreign ministers to meet in Germany on Tuesday

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – The foreign ministers of Israel and the United Arab Emirates will meet in Germany on Tuesday to discuss new steps to normalize relations, officials said on Monday.

Israel and the United Arab Emirates signed an agreement in Washington last month to normalize diplomatic ties and forge a far-reaching new relationship.

“It is a great honor that the Israeli and Emirati foreign ministers have chosen Berlin as the location for their historic first meeting,” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said in a statement.

“We are doing everything possible to be good hosts of the dialogue between the two countries on how to shape their future bilateral relations,” Maas said.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi and his UAE counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan will discuss various issues related to promoting relations, according to an Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson.

UAE officials had no immediate comment.

(Reporting by Ari Rabinovitch, additional reporting by Michael Nienaber in Berlin; editing by Stephen Farrell and Giles Elgood)