The UAE minister of state for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash claimed that the US-brokered agreement to normalize relations with the Zionist regime has nothing to do with Iran and primarily relates to the role and position of the UAE in the world as well as the Arab camp with Israel.

Iran PressAmerica: Gargash made the remarks in an exclusive interview with CNN on Tuesday in response to critics who say the deal, just weeks before the upcoming US presidential election, is only a foreign policy victory for President Donald Trump.

"I think the most important thing that made this peace deal so close to the US election was the opportunity it provided to suspend the annexation (of the Zionist-occupied Palestinian territories)," he said. Therefore, in response to these critics, it should be said that the important issue that exists is the issue of annexation.

"Everyone was terrified of Israel's decision, an issue that had become part of the election promises (in Tel Aviv) and they wanted to separate and annex Palestinian lands, and this was an issue that somehow overshadowed the discussion of a two-state solution," Gargash said.

Asked why the Palestinians say they can no longer count on the support of certain Arab states, Gargash said: "Not all the decisions we make as a sovereign state are related to the Palestinian question. We think we can strike the right balance between normalizing our relations with Israel and at the same time remaining steadfast in achieving our goals of establishing a Palestinian state. This is actually a new approach. Our assessment is that the old-fashioned approach, in which there was no communication, has gone nowhere."

Asked whether the normalization of the UAE's relations with Israel is due to the confrontation with Iran, Gargash said: "We have issues and problems with Iran, and many of these problems are big and important, but we must resolve our issues with Iran by intensifying diplomacy. This agreement has nothing to do with Iran. This agreement is primarily related to the UAE and goes back to the role and position of this country in the world, and secondly to the Arab struggle with Israel and what can be done in that regard and what messages can be sent. "This has nothing to do with Iran."

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