Jerusalem, Feb 7 (IANS): The Israeli Police Chief Kobi Shabtai has paid his first trip to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in a bid to strengthen security cooperation between the two countries.

Shabtai is expected to meet with senior officials of the UAE's Interior Ministry as well as the police commissioners of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, his office said on Sunday in a statement issued upon his arrival.

He added that he intends to appoint a representative of the Israeli Police to the UAE who will base at the Israeli embassy in Abu Dhabi and would be tasked with the coordination of the Israeli police activities in the UAE, the Middle East and Africa.

The trip came three days after Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz flew to Bahrain and signed a security cooperation deal with the Gulf country, Xinhua news agency reported.

Israel and the UAE, along with Bahrain, decided to normalise their ties in a US-brokered agreement in 2020.