National security advisers of Israel, US, UAE, Bahrain hold virtual meeting on cooperation

The national security advisers of Israel, the US, the UAE and Bahrain have held a virtual meeting to discuss boosting regional cooperation, the White House says.

National Security Council chairman Tzachi Hanegbi and US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan logged on from Israel while their counterparts Tahnoun bin Zayed and Nasser bin Hamad Zoomed in from the UAE and Bahrain respectively, the White House says.

They discussed addressing the food security crisis through the I2U2 forum made up of Israel, India, the US and the UAE and progress made by the Negev Forum working groups, which met earlier this month in Abu Dhabi. That gathering brought together some 150 officials from Israel, the US, the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco and Egypt to discuss joint projects in the areas of food security and water technology, clean energy, tourism, regional security, healthcare, education and coexistence.

The White House says an emphasis was also placed during the meeting on the climate crisis as the UAE prepares to host the COP28 conference later this year.