Foreign Minister Yair Lapid announced Amir Hayek's appointment to the role of ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Sunday.
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Hayek served as president of the Israel Hotel Association and chairman of the ELA Recycling Corporation. In addition, Hayek has also served as director-general of the Economy and Industry Ministry and the Israel Manufacturers Association.
In a statement, Lapid said: "With his vast experience and knowledge in the fields of economy and tourism, Amir Hayek is the right person to establish the bridge between Israel and the Emirates. Following the opening of the embassy, the time has also come to appoint the first ambassador to the United Arab Emirates."
Hayek thanked Lapid for his faith in him and said it was a "great honor for me to be the first ambassador to the United Arab Emirates and represent the State of Israel.
He said, "The United Arab Emirates is an entire world of joint economic opportunity. This is an important and exciting mission, and we have a lot of work ahead of us.
"I have no doubt I will have the full cooperation of all government ministries and together, we will succeed in establishing diplomatic and economic cooperation between both countries."
Earlier this month, the UAE officially opened its embassy in Tel Aviv at a ceremony attended by President Isaac Herzog and Emirati Ambassador Mohamed Al Khaja.
Hayek's appointment follows that of former MK Ronen Hoffman to the role of ambassador to Canada. Hoffman, a lecturer on diplomacy and foreign policy at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, was one of the founders of the center's International Institute for Counterterrorism.
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