TEHRAN, June 2 (Xinhua) — The Iranian foreign minister said on Friday that the new “positive” atmosphere in the Middle East is in the interests of all regional states, according to a statement published on the Foreign Ministry’s website.

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian made the remarks in a meeting with United Arab Emirates (UAE) Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan on the sidelines of the Friends of BRICS meeting held in Cape Town, South Africa, where they discussed the bilateral and regional issues of common interest.

Noting a recent visit by the UAE minister of state to Iran, the Iranian foreign minister said the two sides had agreed on holding a joint economic commission meeting to improve bilateral trade and economic relations.

For his part, the UAE foreign minister underlined the necessity of expanding bilateral relations in all areas including the trade and economic fields.

The UAE will invite Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to the 28th UN climate conference it will host in November, he said.

Relations between Iran and the UAE have been improving over the past months, especially after Iran and Saudi Arabia reached an agreement on the resumption of their bilateral ties in March.

Iran appointed its first ambassador to the UAE since 2016 in early April, after the UAE reinstated its ambassador in Tehran in September 2022.

In 2016, the UAE downgraded its relations with Iran after Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties with Iran.