Gargash: deal with Israel is not about Iran, dismisses Erdogan’s criticism

• President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu have tried to frame the trilateral agreement as part of their efforts to isolate and confront Iran
• Turkey has political and trade relations with Israel

DUBAI: The UAE’s minister of state for foreign affairs said normalizing relations with Israel is not related to Iran and dismissed Erdogan’s criticism, Al-Arabiya reported.
“This is not about Iran. This is about the UAE, Israel and the United States… This is in no way meant to create some sort of grouping against Iran,” Anwar Gargash said in an interview.
Although President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu have tried to frame the trilateral agreement as part of their efforts to isolate and confront Iran, Gargash said the UAE is not looking to provoke their neighbor.
“We have a very complicated relationship with Iran… While we have our concerns, we feel also that resolving these issues should be through diplomacy and de-escalation,” Gargash said.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also reacted to the trilateral deal and said they could withdraw their UAE’s ambassador from the Gulf state, as they saw the move as a blow to Palestinian rights.
Gargash dismissed the criticism and said it was a “double standard.”
“They receive over half a million Israeli tourists, have $2 billion worth of bilateral trade and an existing embassy there. And I ask myself whether this is a principled position or not,” he said.