UAE, Iran coast guards tackle fishing issues

The meeting between the UAE and Iranian coast guards was the sixth in a series, the last one being three months ago.

The UAE and Iran on Tuesday held maritime security talks, which officials described as routine and technical.

According to an Emirati official, the meeting between the UAE and Iranian coast guards was the sixth in a series, the last one being three months ago. 

He said it was held to discuss routine maritime issues, including fishermen's straying into each other's territorial waters. Iran had detained a group of Emirati and Asian fishermen, and the meeting was sought to solve their problems.

Iran's semi-official Isna news agency said issues from shared borders, visits by citizens, illegal entries, to maritime connections were discussed.

"Iran has always given extreme importance to the security of the Arabian Gulf and it needs cooperation among all Arabian Gulf states," the agency quoted an Iranian official as saying.