JERUSALEM: Israel is set to open a mission in Abu Dhabi as part of an international green energy body -- its first official presence in the United Arab Emirates.

The mission will operate under the International Renewable Energy Agency, of which Israel is a member, foreign ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said.

Establishing a permanent presence in Abu Dhabi will not change Israel’s official relationship with the UAE, which does not recognise Israel and has no diplomatic ties with the Jewish state.

But as the headquarters of an international organisation, the Emirates is obliged to accept an Israeli representative under United Nations guidelines.

The presence of a permanent mission in Abu Dhabi is likely to boost diplomatic efforts by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has repeatedly stressed that a nuclear deal between Iran and world powers opens the door to closer Israeli-Arab ties.

The mission has been the subject of years of top secret discussions, according to the Israeli daily Haaretz.

Published in Dawn, November 28th, 2015