TEL AVIV, July 15: Following last year's agreement to normalise diplomatic ties between the two countries, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) opened its embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Wednesday, becoming the first Gulf State to open an embassy here.

The inauguration of the new UAE mission, housed in the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange building, was attended by Israeli President Isaac Herzog.

Emirati Ambassador Mohammad Mahmoud Al Khajah, who had presented his credentials in March, said at the opening ceremony, “It is a great honor to open the embassy here. Ten months ago our two countries signed the Abraham Accords with a vision of dignity, prosperity and peace for the two peoples...This is just the beginning. Both countries are innovative nations and we will harness these new approaches for the prosperity of the countries.”

Khaja listed the areas of cooperation such as between universities, hospitals and researchers in Israel and the UAE, and in economics, air travel and agriculture. He said they are “just the beginning.”

The embassy opening is an “important step for the entire Middle East,” said Herzog, who took office last week. "To see the Emirati flag in the skies of Tel Aviv would have seemed a distant dream. Today it is a reality...This blessed process cannot stop,” he said. “In my recent telephone conversations with leaders of the region, I again understand that we have more partners and allies in this mission than we thought,” he added.

Israel and Emirates entered into an agreement last August, called Abraham Accords, brokered by the US. Later, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco also joined the accord.