Israel’s new Foreign Minister inaugurated its Embassy in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday and offered an olive branch to other former adversaries, saying: “We’re here to stay.”

During his two-day visit, the first to the West Asian nation by an Israeli Cabinet Minister since the countries established ties last year, Yair Lapid was also due to inaugurate a Consulate in Dubai and sign a bilateral deal on economic cooperation.

“Israel wants peace with its neighbours — with all its neighbours. We aren’t going anywhere. The Middle East is our home,” Mr. Lapid said during the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Abu Dhabi high-rise office serving as a temporary Embassy. “We’re here to stay. We call on all the countries of the region to recognise that,” he said, according to a transcript.

Brought together by shared worries about Iran and hopes for commercial boons, the UAE and Bahrain normalised relations with Israel last year under so-called “Abraham Accords” crafted by the then U.S. administration of President Donald Trump. Sudan and Morocco have since also cultivated Israel ties