Pictured Above / (L to R) Professor Alon Wolf, The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and President Uri Sivan

H.H. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, visited the Technion on September 17 — the last stop on his journey in Israel to mark two years since the signing of the Abraham Accords.

“The Abraham Accords with the United Arab Emirates are a window of opportunity for scientific and technological cooperation,” Technion President Professor Uri Sivan told Foreign Minister Bin Zayed about the agreements that are a milestone for peace in the region. “Education and science are topics that connect people, and we will be happy to carry out joint research and academic cooperation with universities in your country.”

The visit, which also included Professor Alon Wolf, vice president for external relations and resource development, took place at the Technion’s David and Janet Polak Visitors Center. The recently refurbished Center uses video and exhibits to showcase Technion discoveries, alumni-founded companies making an impact, and to tell the story of the Technion’s decades-long contributions to Israel.

“There are promising opportunities to enhance and develop this cooperation and align it with the two countries’ efforts to achieve economic prosperity and sustainable growth,” said Foreign Minister bin Zayed. Noting his positive impressions of the Technion’s scientific advancements, he promised to return with a delegation of United Arab Emirates Academia members to promote academic cooperation.

Prior to visiting the Technion, the Sheikh went to Jerusalem, where he met with Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid and President Isaac Herzog at the Prime Minister’s office and President’s residence, respectively. He then went to Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, to lay a wreath. In the evening, the UAE’s embassy in Israel hosted a celebratory dinner in seaside city of Herzliya, just north of Tel Aviv. The Foreign Minister also visited the Tel Aviv Museum of Art and the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation.

The U.S. brokered Abraham Accords ushered in public rapprochements between Israel and several Arab states, with the UAE and Bahrain being the first to sign the accords in September 2020. Ties between Israel and the UAE have since flourished, with an estimated 450,000 Israelis visiting the Gulf state, and the countries exchanging diplomatic and security support. Trade between the UAE and Israel is expected to reach more than $2 billion in 2022.