NEW DELHI — India on Friday welcomed normalization of relations between the United Arab Emirates and Israel.

"India has consistently supported peace, stability, and development in West Asia (the Middle East), which is its extended neighborhood. In that context, we welcome the full normalization of ties between UAE and Israel. Both nations are key strategic partners of India," said Anurag Srivastava, the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs during the virtual weekly media briefing on Friday.

''India continues its traditional support for the Palestinian cause. We hope to see an early resumption of direct negotiations to find an acceptable two-state solution,'' he added.

Earlier, UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Friday called his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar to brief him about his country establishing ties with Israel.

In a tweet, the Indian foreign minister said, "Deeply appreciate the call today from FM HH @ABZayed of UAE. Discussed the full normalization of relations between UAE and Israel announced yesterday."

Navdeep Suri, India's former envoy to UAE said, "We have excellent ties with both Israel and UAE so the normalization of ties between them is good news for India. It opens the way for meaningful cooperation in several areas of mutual interest ranging from conservation of water resources and promoting food security to joining hands in the fight against terrorism." — Agencies