11 Feb 2021; MEMO: UAE has turned the page on border dispute with Iran by reaching an agreement in 2019
President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan has congratulated his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani on the occasion of his country's national day and the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.
The Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported: "The president of the UAE sent a congratulatory telegram to President Rouhani on the 42nd anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran."
The UAE news agency added: "The vice president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, the ruler of Dubai, Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum and the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohammed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan sent two separate telegrams to President Rouhani to congratulate the 42nd anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution."
On 7 February, Emirati Foreign Minister Abdullah Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan communicated in a phone conversation with US Special Envoy to Iran Robert Malley that his country is committed to working closely with the administration of US President Joe Biden to reduce tensions in the region and initiate a new dialogue with Iran.
An Iranian official revealed in January that the UAE had been Iran's second-largest trading partner for almost two years, expressing his hope that his country will enter the Saudi market through the Emirates.
Head of the joint Iranian-Emirati Chamber of Commerce Farshid Farzankan noted: "The trading level between Iran and the UAE has reached a remarkable level, as the Emirates has been Tehran's second-largest trading partner during the last year."
Farzankan disclosed: "During the first nine months of the current year, the volume of exports to the UAE amounted to $3.3 billion, in addition to $6.3 billion in imports, bringing the total value of trade balance to about $9.6 billion, making the UAE Iran's second-largest trading partner after China."
It is noteworthy that relations between Iran and the UAE have improved, particularly after Abu Dhabi sent a security delegation to Tehran in June 2019, to discuss border cooperation issues and exchange "security information".
The UAE has also turned a page on the border dispute with Iran, after signing a border cooperation agreement at the end of July 2019, stipulating holding meetings between the two parties every six months.
