UAE, Israel sign driving license agreement

The UAE and Israel have signed an agreement permitting driving license holders from each country to obtain licenses in the other.

According to the Khaleej Times the agreement, which will reportedly be implemented soon, will mean motorists will just need to present their original driving license and they will be issued a new one in the host country.

Merav Michaeli, Israel’s Minister of Transportation and Road Safety, was quoted as saying, “I signed two agreements during the visit. One regarding driving licences so that citizens of both the countries can drive freely now, benefiting Israelis who come here a lot and Emiratis who will visit Israel.”

“The other is a shipping agreement to make trade between countries easier and more accessible. Israel has two new ports, in addition to the four it already operates. We have to make Israel a hub for trade and cargo,” she added.

READ: UAE, Bahrain, Morocco apply to buy Israel’s Iron Dome missile defence system

Speaking at the sidelines of the World Government Summit currently taking place at Expo2020 Dubai, the Minister said, “In addition, I had very important talks about the development of infrastructure, transport as well as strategic discussions about mutual interests.”

There are also plans to develop a railway project to connect Dubai with Haifa, the Minister said. Last year, similar plans were revealed regarding a railway connecting Abu Dhabi with the city.

Since the signing of the Abraham Accords in 2020 whereby the UAE, along with Bahrain normalised relations with Israel, over 50 agreements have been signed across various sectors.

On Monday, senior diplomats from the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, Egypt and the US met at the Negev Summit hosted by Israel, which is set to become an annual event. UAE’s Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, disclosed that 300,000 Israelis have visited the Emirates in the past year and a half.

READ: Israel says Negev summit to become regional forum