UAE: Conflict in Ukraine will ‘significantly change international order’

The conflict in Ukraine will bring about a “significant change in the international order” and will have “prolonged” and “deep” consequences, the diplomatic adviser to the President of the United Arab Emirates, Anwar Gargas, stressed on Tuesday.

“But I think a political solution really needs to be found. It will start with a ceasefire and a political solution as soon as possible. It has to be achieved because the risk of horizontal or vertical escalation is real,” he told CNN.

It is noted that the UAE has not condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Speaking at the World Government Summit in Dubai, Gargas stressed that “the region [της Μέσης Ανατολής]”… it is a witness to the kind of structural change, but it must cover the lost ground, emphasizing, in my opinion, non-political issues.”

Gargas, who previously served as the UAE’s foreign minister for international affairs, also spoke at a landmark regional summit in Israel’s Negev desert, where top diplomats from the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Bahrain, Mauritius Israel and the United States met to discuss security issues.

At the meeting on Monday, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid spoke about the impact of the new regional alliance on deterring Iran, but Garkas stressed that “the Middle East is not really just about Iran … and Israel.”

“Our intention is to find a working way to work with Iran … our ultimate intention is to have an agenda of stability or prosperity in the region that includes Iran and others,” he added.

Abu Dhabi has taken initiatives to improve ties with its regional neighbors, including Turkey and Iran, and normalize relations with Israel by 2020.

“We have to turn the page and start a new one. And this new page basically includes friends of course, but also opponents. We are rebuilding these bridges, but we will not agree with everything they want,” Gargas added.