Abu Dhabi, Oct 2 (IANS): The United Arab Emirates (UAE), US and Israel have affirmed the importance of establishing a joint strategic vision for energy partnership, according to a state-media report.
In a report, WAM, the official news agency of the UAE, said on Thursday that Suhail bin Mohammed Al Mazrouei, Cabinet Member and Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, US Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette and Israeli Minister of Energy Yuval Steinitz agreed to supporting the development of a strategic vision for an energy partnership that drives innovation and prosperity.
"The UAE, US, 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 report quoted a joint statement as saying
"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 further said that to maximise the global benefits of cooperation, three countries were also "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".
The development came weeks after Israel signed agreements to normalise diplomatic ties with the UAE and also Bahrain at the White House on September 15.
US President Donald Trump joined Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan and Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani in signing the three-way agreements.
The signing ceremony, which was held in the South Lawn at the White House, formally makes the UAE and Bahrain the third and the fourth Arab nation to establish diplomatic ties with Israel.
Egypt and Jordan signed their peace deals with Israel in 1979 and 1994, respectively.