JERUSALEM -- Israel on Sunday announced it had opened its embassy in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), following a normalization deal signed last year to establish diplomatic ties between the two nations.

The embassy "will promote the entire relations between the countries and expand ties with the Emirati government, economic entities and the private sector, academia, the media and more," the Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The embassy would operate in a temporary building until a permanent office will be found, the foreign ministry said.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi said in the statement that the move "would allow the broadening of the bilateral ties between Israel and the UAE."

The Council of Ministers of the UAE has approved the establishment of the UAE embassy in the city of Tel Aviv in Israel, the UAE government's official Twitter said on Sunday.