Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi held talks with newly confirmed US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday, marking the first high-level government meeting between Jerusalem and the Biden administration.
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According to a statement released by the Foreign Ministry, the two discussed "regional strategic matters, continued to widen the circle of peace, the Iranian threat, and other topics."
Blinken asserted that the United States reaffirms its firm commitment to Israel's security and will continue to work closely with it to advance peace in the region.
Blinken, in the call with Ashkenazi, applauded recent progress made with the Abraham Accords and affirmed US interest in building further on that progress, the US State Department said in a statement.
"Foreign Minister Ashkenazi and Secretary Blinken acknowledged the steadfast partnership between the United States and Israel, and that the two countries would work closely together on challenges ahead," it said.
Regarding Israel's historic normalization agreements with the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco over the past several months, Ashkenazi said: "The peace agreements led by the US created a broad peace coalition in the Middle East and we all must continue to act to widen the circle and remove any threat that can undermine the stability and security of the region.
Great speaking with @Gabi_Ashkenazi today to discuss the steadfast partnership between the U.S. and Israel. Our commitment to Israel's security is sacrosanct, and I look forward to working with the Foreign Minister and others toward our common goals.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) January 28, 2021
"I am certain that we will know to act together against global terror and any threat to stability led by Iran and its proxies," Ashkenazi added.
Blinken later tweeted that it was "Great speaking with @Gabi_Ashkenazi today to discuss the steadfast partnership between the US and Israel."
"Our commitment to Israel's security is sacrosanct, and I look forward to working with the Foreign Minister and others toward our common goals."
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While US President Joe Biden is expected to move US foreign policy away from Trump's "America First" posture, the Democrat has indicated he would continue with the pursuit of the Abraham Accords.
i24NEWS contributed to this report.
