Israeli UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan and his UAE counterpart, Lana Nusseibeh, pose for a photo together, in New York City, Sept. 23, 2020. Photo: Israeli UN Mission.

In a first-of-its-kind event made possible by the normalization agreement signed by their countries earlier this month, the UN envoys of Israel and the United Arab Emirates sat down for a meeting on Wednesday in New York City.

A statement published by Israeli Ambassador Gilad Erdan’s office said he and his UAE counterpart, Lana Nusseibeh, had talked about “the importance of increasing cooperation between the two countries in order to expand the benefits of peace in the Middle East.”

“The ambassadors discussed different areas of significant opportunity for both countries to the entire region,” the statement noted.

“The ambassadors agreed to promote a number of issues at the UN, including the response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, digital cooperation and countering extremism online, empowering women, climate action and environmental protection,” it added.

I had a very good meeting with @UAEMissionToUN Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh. We discussed the importance of cooperation to expand the benefits of peace in the Middle East, as well as COVID-19 responses, countering extremism online, empowering women, and other issues.???? pic.twitter.com/pzFgrMnlz6

— Ambassador Gilad Erdan גלעד ארדן (@giladerdan1) September 23, 2020

Good meeting with @IsraelinUN Amb @giladerdan1 following the #UAEIsrael #PeaceAccord. The Ambassadors reviewed mutual priorities @UN including COVID response, empowering women, climate action, and cultural exchange, and discussed the new opportunities in the ??-?? relationship. pic.twitter.com/3A0uo9Txur

— UAE Mission to UN (@UAEMissionToUN) September 23, 2020