Lapid to meet with American, Bahraini, Italian counterparts in Rome

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid departed for his first trip abroad on the job, flying to Rome on Sunday afternoon for a series of high-level diplomatic meetings.Lapid is scheduled to meet with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al-Zayani and Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio, and return to Israel late Sunday night.Among the items on the agenda for Lapid’s meeting with Blinken are the Iranian nuclear threat and US negotiations to return to the 2015 Iran deal, as well as the American request to re-open its consulate to the Palestinians in Jerusalem, and reconstruction of Gaza after last month’s Operation Guardian of the Walls.Lapid’s trip to Italy comes exactly two weeks after the new government was sworn in, and he and Blinken has spoken twice since then. They agreed not to surprise one another on matters related to Iran in one of the calls.Iran is likely to be high on the agenda for Lapid’s meeting with Al-Zayani, as well. The ministers are also expected to discuss ways to strengthen and expand the newly open relations between the countries, forged as part of the Abraham Accords last year.Lapid is set to visit the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday and Wednesday, in the first state visit by an Israeli minister to the Gulf State.The trip is set to include a meeting with UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed, dedications of the Israeli Embassy in Abu Dhabi and Consulate to Dubai, as well as a visit to Israel’s booth at the Expo 2020 international event.

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