The United Arab Emirates and Israel on Monday agreed to enhance bilateral cooperation in the health sector following an accord between the countries to normalise relations 10 days ago, UAE state news agency WAM said.
The health ministers of the two countries discussed cooperation on pharmaceuticals, medical research and COVID-19 in a telephone call.
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Health Minister Yuli Edelstein and the flags of Israel and UAE
(Photo: Avi Mualem, Reuters)
A statement from the Health Ministry added Health Minister Yuli Edelstein and his Emirati counterpart, Abdul Rahman Mohammed Al Oweis, agreed on "initial and immediate cooperation" in the health sector.
Israel and the UAE have agreed to normalize diplomatic ties and forge a broad new relationship under a U.S.-sponsored deal, making the UAE the third Arab country to have formal diplomatic ties with Israel after Egypt and Jordan.
The two countries will each appoint representatives and set up business delegations, the Israeli health ministry said.
The countries will also work to create a student exchange program once the coronavirus pandemic conditions allow, it added.
Since the deal, the countries have signed a few agreements on technologies to fight the coronavirus.
Several small-scale medical and defence collaborations were announced in the weeks preceding the normalisation agreement.