An Israeli flag flies in a street in front of the Ibrahimi Mosque or the Tomb of the patriarchs, in the West Bank town of Hebron, on May 26, 2022. (HAZEM BADER / AFP)

JERUSALEM - Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen announced on Monday his plan to attend a conference in March with his counterparts from Arab countries that have normalized relations with Israel.

Cohen, who took office last week in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right coalition government, said the conference will be hosted by Morocco, according to a statement issued by the foreign ministry.

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen was referring to the Negev Forum, a foreign ministerial-level framework established by Israel, Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco, the UAE and the United States in 2022 to develop Israeli-Arab relations

The ministry's director-general is scheduled to attend a working meeting next week with Arab counterparts in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, to prepare the meeting, he added.

Cohen was referring to the Negev Forum, a foreign ministerial-level framework established by Israel, Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco, the UAE and the United States in 2022 to develop Israeli-Arab relations, especially after the normalization Abraham Accords Israel reached with Bahrain, Morocco and the UAE in 2020.

READ MORE: Netanyahu says Israel not bound by 'despicable' UN vote

"Expanding the Accords to other countries is not a matter of 'if' but of 'when,'" Cohen said, adding Israel's ties with the Arab countries resulted in $2.85 billion in trade in 2022 and "a significant contribution to security ... and regional stability."

Netanyahu, who was sworn in for a sixth term last week, has expressed hope of forming official ties with Saudi Arabia. In the past, Riyadh has conditioned any diplomatic progress with Israel on progress toward a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.