DUBAI: Israel´s top diplomat Yair Lapid said Wednesday that more cooperation deals with the UAE were on the horizon, during a landmark visit to the Gulf nation. The United Arab Emirates and Israel normalised ties in September, paving the way for a raft of deals ranging from tourism and aviation to financial services. “We´re going sign more agreements in July… in Israel. So it´s going to expand,” he told journalists. “The vision is (that) it moves from governments to business to people.” Lapid was speaking as he opened an Israeli consulate in the commercial hub of Dubai, a day after opening the country´s first Gulf embassy in UAE capital Abu Dhabi. “What we are opening here today isn´t only a consulate. It´s a centre of cooperation. A place that symbolises our ability to think together, to develop together, to change the world together,” he said. On Wednesday, he also visited the gigantic Expo 2020 Dubai, at which Israel will participate along with more than 190 countries. The six-month global expo, which Dubai hopes will attract visitors and boost the economy, is set to launch in October after a one-year delay due to the coronavirus pandemic. “The Israeli pavilion will serve as a platform to establish bilateral cooperation in business, industry, investments, culture and academia,” said Israel´s point man for the expo, Elazar Cohen, in a statement.
