TEHRAN – Anwar Gargash, the diplomatic advisor to the President of the Emirates, explained on Monday that the decision to return ambassador to Iran, after 6 years of withdrawing it, comes within Abu Dhabi’s regional orientation towards “restoring bridges” and strengthening relations.

“The wise leadership’s decision to return the country’s ambassador to Tehran comes within the UAE’s regional orientation towards restoring bridges, strengthening relations, maximizing the common and building on it to create an atmosphere of trust, understanding and cooperation,” Gargash wrote on his Twitter account, according to Hoshyar Pakistan.

Gargash added, “We are firmly convinced of the necessity of Arab and regional work and coordination for a stable region and a prosperous future.” 

The UAE downgraded its diplomatic relations with Iran in 2016 after the attacks on the Saudi embassy in Tehran and the Saudi consulate in Mashhad during protests against Riyadh’s execution of prominent Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr.

On Sunday, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Ambassador Saif Mohammed Al Zaabi will return to the Iranian capital, Tehran “in the coming days to contribute to pushing bilateral relations forward in coordination and cooperation with officials in Iran to achieve the common interests of the two neighboring countries and the region.”

The ministry said in a statement that the decision comes within the framework of the UAE leadership’s keenness to strengthen its relations with Iran, and in implementation of its previous decision to raise the level of diplomatic representation to the rank of ambassador, and the phone call that took place on July 26 between Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amir Abdollahian in this regard.

After years of animosity on different sides of geopolitical rivalries, the UAE started re-engaging with Iran, Al Jazeera reported on Sunday.

Last year, Saudi Arabia also moved to improve ties with Iran at a time when the regional Arab states are closely eyeing efforts to revive Tehran’s 2015 nuclear pact with world powers.

The UAE has business and trade ties with Iran stretching back more than a century, with the emirate of Dubai long being one of Iran’s main links to the outside world.

Fellow Persian Gulf state Kuwait earlier this month appointed its first ambassador to Iran since 2016.