DUBAI: The UAE鈥檚 minister of state for foreign affairs said normalizing relations with Israel is not related to Iran and dismissed Erdogan鈥檚 criticism, Al-Arabiya reported.
鈥淭his is not about Iran. This is about the UAE, Israel and the United States鈥� This is in no way meant to create some sort of grouping against Iran,鈥� Anwar Gargash said in an interview.
Although President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu have tried to frame the trilateral agreement as part of their efforts to isolate and confront Iran, Gargash said the UAE is not looking to provoke their neighbor.
鈥淲e have a very complicated relationship with Iran鈥� While we have our concerns, we feel also that resolving these issues should be through diplomacy and de-escalation,鈥� Gargash said.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also reacted to the trilateral deal and said they could withdraw their UAE鈥檚 ambassador from the Gulf state, as they saw the move as a blow to Palestinian rights.
Gargash dismissed the criticism and said it was a 鈥渄ouble standard.鈥�
鈥淭hey receive over half a million Israeli tourists, have $2 billion worth of bilateral trade and an existing embassy there. And I ask myself whether this is a principled position or not,鈥� he said.