UAE initiates talks to de-escalate tension with Iran

Dubai: As part of a policy towards diplomacy, the UAE is taking steps to de-escalate tensions with Iran, said Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE president. He added that the Gulf state is deeply concerned about Iran's behaviour in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and Lebanon.

Iran is currently in talks with western nations to revive the 2015 nuclear pact. The UAE and Saudi Arabia are of the opinion that the pact was flawed as it did not address Iran's missile programme and network of regional proxies.

The senior official said that the steps are being taken as the UAE has no interest in a confrontation because the whole region would pay the price of such a confrontation for decades to come. He was speaking at the Abu Dhabi Strategic Debate.

He added that he is realistic about the chances of success and knows that it will be a slow process. "We hope that over time we can build together greater confidence between us and start to make progress towards a more sustainable and mutually beneficial status quo," reported NDTV.

Gargash stated that the Gulf state is working to build bridges with all nations, including with those there is disagreement. He added that establishing diplomatic ties with Israel and programmes in Ethiopia and Sudan are part of the same policy.

The senior official also spoke of the situation in Afghanistan. He said that the recent developments are "very troubling" for the UAE for two reasons. One is the rise of extremism and the other is the perceived role of the United States. The UAE sees the rise of Islamist groups like the Muslim Brotherhood as a threat to their dynastic system of rule.