Jerusalem - Israel and Bahrain have signed an agriculture cooperation deal, Israeli officials said on Thursday, bringing closer the countries that forged ties under a U.S.-diplomatic push in 2020.

The signing took place at an international conference in the Red Sea port of Eilat whose focus included "innovation in aquaculture, as part of global efforts to address food security," Israel's Agriculture Ministry said in a statement.

Also present were delegates from United Arab Emirates and Morocco, which also drew closer to Israel under the so-called "Abraham Accords" two years ago.

The Israeli ministry said that, persuant to a government decision, Eilat would "become a centre for research and development of food from the sea and the desert".

(Reporting by Steven Scheer; Editing by Mark Potter)