Erdogan visits UAE to bolster political, economic ties

Ankara and Abu Dhabi seem to be mending relations as both leaders promise increased regional cooperation.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan look over an honour guard at Qasr Al-Watan in Abu Dhabi [Jon Gambrell/AP Photo]

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has arrived in the United Arab Emirates for the first time in nearly a decade, as ties improve between the two countries.

Erdogan was greeted by the Gulf state’s de facto ruler Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, who visited Ankara last November when investment accords worth billions of dollars were signed.

The Turkish news agency Anadolu reported on Monday that the two countries signed 13 agreements including on defence, trade, climate change, industry and the economy.

Speaking earlier at a news conference at the Ataturk Airport in Istanbul, Erdogan said the visit would aim to shape the next 50 years of “friendship and brotherhood with the UAE”.

“We do not consider the security and stability of all brotherly countries in the Gulf region separate from our own,” Erdogan said.

Erdogan’s visit – the first since 2013 – “opens a new, positive page in bilateral relations”, Anwar Gargash, adviser to the UAE president, said in a tweet.

Translation: The visit by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the UAE, which comes after the visit by Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to the Turkish republic, opens a new, positive page in bilateral relations between the two countries and is in harmony with the UAE’s Efforts to build stronger communication and cooperation bridges that aim towards a stable, flourishing region.

Abdul Khaleq Abdallah, a political science professor in the UAE, tweeted on Sunday that the two countries should aim to bolster a “strategic political partnership”.

For years, relations have been strained between Turkey and the energy-rich UAE as both countries backed opposing sides in regional conflicts and sparred on other issues such as gas exploration in the eastern Mediterranean.

But tensions eased after Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed traveled to Ankara in November on the first high-level visit since 2012.

Following that visit, the UAE announced a $10bn fund for investments in Turkey, where the economy has been reeling and inflation surged to a near 20-year high in January.

The two countries also signed 10 security, economic and technological agreements, according to the official UAE news agency WAM.

‘Stability and security’

Erdogan’s visit comes as the UAE faces a growing threat from Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who have in recent weeks launched a series of drone and missile attacks on the Gulf country and prompted increased defense cooperation with the United States and France.

Ties between Turkey and the UAE were particularly tense after Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain cut all links with Qatar – a close ally of Ankara – in 2017. Relations were restored in January 2021.

Erdogan has since last year sought to improve Turkey’s ties with regional rivals in the face of harsh isolation that has caused foreign investment to dry up – particularly from the West.

In an op-ed published in the Emirati English-language daily Khaleej Times this weekend, he said Turkey wanted to advance cooperation with the UAE on several fronts, including “climate change, water, and food security”.

“This cooperation will have positive reflections not only in bilateral relations but also at the regional level,” he wrote.

Erdogan also said he believes the two countries are able to contribute to regional peace, stability, and prosperity.

Source: News Agencies