In the spirit of the Abraham Accords, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and UAE and Israeli ministers Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed and Yair Lapid gathered for dinner at the residence of the Emirates’ ambassador to the US, Yousef Al Otaiba, on Wednesday night.
The dinner that followed back-to-back meetings between the US, UAE and Israel was a diplomatic gesture, coinciding with the first anniversary of the accords that normalised relations between the UAE and Israel.
A tweet from UAE embassy in the US featured a photo of Mr Blinken with Sheikh Abdullah, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, and his equivalent Mr Lapid in casual attire, having a chat.
“Governments make agreements. People make peace. Diplomats at dinner. Happy to host friends,” said the tweet from Mr Al Otaiba, who is also a Minister of State.
Sources told The National that the dinner was intimate, with only nine people in attendance.
Others invited from the US were the State Department Counsellor Derek Chollet, and acting assistant secretary of state at the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, Yael Lempert.
Israeli guests included adviser Yair Zivan and director general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Alon Ushpiz.
The UAE’s ambassador to Israel, Mohamed Al Khaja, also attended.
A copy of the menu obtained by The National showed an exquisite mix of flavours.
For the appetiser, spicy tuna tartare in a sesame miso cone and butter-poached lobster with beluga caviar was served.
The main dish featured a choice between Japanese A5 Wagyu beef or a salt-baked Branzino white fish, with burgundy truffle pizza, russet potato gratin, roasted fall squash, sweet peppers and Swiss chard.
The dessert was a chocolate mille crepe and halawet el jibn, a Syrian gourmet delicacy made of semolina and cheese rolls and topped with rose or orange-scented syrup.
The dinner concluded a two-day visit by Sheikh Abdullah to Washington and the first trilateral meeting for the US, UAE and Israel hosted by Mr Blinken, on Wednesday at the State Department.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Uefa Champions League semi-finals, second leg:
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
Jawab Iteiqal
Director: Mohamed Sammy
Starring: Mohamed Ramadan, Ayad Nasaar, Mohamed Adel and Sabry Fawaz
2 stars
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Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)
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Euro 2020 qualifier
Fixture: Liechtenstein v Italy, Tuesday, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match is shown on BeIN Sports
AT%20A%20GLANCE
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