ABU DHABI — The governments of the United Arab Emirates and Israel have entered into formal discussions to establish a quarantine-free travel corridor between the two countries. The travel corridor, which would apply to passengers who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, will facilitate travel for commercial, tourism, and official purposes.

Meetings between officials of the Emirati and Israeli foreign ministries are currently underway to negotiate the terms of the agreement, with the aim of finalizing and implementing the agreement in April 2021.

The two sides affirmed that the establishment of a travel corridor between the UAE and Israel would increase the level of bilateral exchange in the wake of the historic Abraham Accords Peace Agreement and generate additional opportunities to reinforce economic and people-to-people ties.

The two sides noted that discussions to establish such a corridor come in recognition of successful efforts by the UAE and Israel in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the two countries leading the world’s fastest vaccination campaigns, the UAE and Israel expressed their shared commitment to demonstrating that ending the pandemic requires widespread, effective vaccination and coordination between countries.

The leadership of the UAE and Israel reiterated that strengthening global health security is a collective responsibility. As models for the international community in combating COVID-19 through the provision of accessible care, the UAE and Israel underlined the importance of multilateralism and international cooperation to achieve an equitable and sustainable recovery from the pandemic. — WAM