Trade between the UAE and Israel has reached $675.22 million since the signing of the Abraham Accords, FM Lapid said.
Speaking with the Emirates News Agency in an interview published Wednesday, Lapid said that "It is estimated that the bilateral trade potential will multiply many times over in the coming years."
"Real peace does not exist on paper but in peace between nations, peoples, and cultures. I am happy to see that Israelis are coming to visit the UAE and I am sure that joint tourism will expand, and we look forward to welcoming Emirati tourists to Israel."
"The first year [of Abraham accords and first official visit] are just the beginning of the journey.
"We need to allow our economies to integrate and prosper. We need to preserve the open dialogue and open-mindedness," he said.
In the realm of cooperation on advanced technologies, Lapid said that "Since September 2020, a number of transactions, valued at tens of millions of dollars, have been signed between Israeli and Emirati companies in the fields of AI, cyber, renewable energy, water security, health and more."
"The horizons are promising for companies from both countries operating in these and other fields, including food security and desert-tech."
Apart from ten economic agreements that had been signed between the two governments, other agreements are in the negotiations stage, "as part of the establishment of the bilateral infrastructure agreement between our countries within the framework of the Abraham Accords," Lapid added.
Lapid said "it is a huge honor" to be the first Israeli minister to embark on an official visit to the UAE. "This is not, however, a technical or ceremonial visit; it is part of a deep understanding that begins here with the shared journey of true cooperation," he explained.
"This visit does not occur in a vacuum, it comes after the comprehensive work carried out by many people, which is bearing fruit today. This historic moment is thanks to them, and benefits us all," he added.