Tuqa Khalid, Al Arabiya English Thursday 01 October 2020 Text size AAA
The United Arab Emirates, the United States and Israel agreed to develop a joint strategy in the energy sector, according to a joint statement reported on Thursday by the UAE’s state news agency WAM.
The statement was issued on behalf of Suhail bin Mohammed al-Mazrouei, UAE Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, US Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette and Israeli Minister of Energy Yuval Steinitz.
“The United Arab Emirates, the United States of America, and Israel, acknowledging the benefits of focusing on pragmatic steps that have tangible outcomes, agree to encourage greater coordination in the energy sector, including renewable energy, energy efficiency, oil, natural gas resources and related technologies, and water desalination technologies,” the statement read.
“Together, our dynamic economies will look to leverage world-leading research and development capacities to meet the needs of current and future generations. We will also seek to find solutions to the energy challenges faced by the Palestinian people through the development of energy resources, technologies, and related infrastructure,” the statement added.
“To maximize the global benefits of cooperation, the UAE, the US, and Israel are committed to exploring collective activities in multilateral settings in coordination with financial institutions and the private sector to enhance international investment in research and development and the rapid adoption of new energy technologies,” WAM reported citing the joint statement.
The UAE normalized ties with Israel after a US-brokered deal which was announced at the White House on August 13 and signed in Washington on September 15.
The UAE-Israel deal was struck following what officials said were 18 months of talks. The UAE agreed to normalize relations with Israel, while Israel agreed to continue with plans to suspend its annexation of the West Bank.
The UAE also abolished on August 29 a previous law that mandated an economic boycott of Israel.