JERUSALEM, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid met here with visiting Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Thursday to mark the second anniversary of the normalization of ties between the two countries.
Lapid met Sheikh Abdullah for a one-on-one meeting, which was followed by an expanded meeting with teams from both sides, according to a statement from Lapid's office.
Sheikh Abdullah arrived in Israel on Wednesday with a delegation that included three other government ministers.
"We are changing the Middle East together. We are moving it from war to peace, from terrorism to economic cooperation, from a mess of violence and fanaticism to a dialogue of tolerance and cultural curiosity," Lapid said.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog hosted Sheikh Abdullah for an official luncheon in the afternoon at the president's residence in Jerusalem.
Sheikh Abdullah told Herzog that the deal to normalize diplomatic ties between the two countries in 2020 was "historic."
On Thursday, Sheikh Abdullah also visited Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem.
"We must take a brave step to build a bridge of real peace for future generations," the UAE foreign minister wrote in the guest book.
The trip is Sheikh Abdullah's second visit to Israel since the UAE and Israel decided to normalize ties in September 2020.
The UAE and Bahrain signed U.S.-brokered agreements to normalize their ties with Israel in September 2020. The move was followed later by Sudan and Morocco. ■
