Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced that he will visit the United Arab Emirates again in February, as the two countries work to repair their strained relations after years of hostility.
Last week, Abu Dhabi’s crown prince paid his first official visit to Turkey since 2012, and it was the highest-level visit by an Emirati official since relations between the two nations reached an all-time low.
During the visit, Erdogan and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s de facto leader and the driving force behind the country’s foreign policy, oversaw the signing of nearly a dozen cooperation agreements, while a top Emirati official said the UAE has set aside $10 billion for investment in Turkey.
On his return from a trip to Turkmenistan late Sunday, Erdogan told a group of journalists that the crown prince’s visit took place in an almost family-like atmosphere, hailing it as a ‘move that is essential in initiating a new era between Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.’
Turkey and the United Arab Emirates have found themselves on opposing sides in regional crises such as a proxy war in Libya and tensions in the Gulf and the eastern Mediterranean.
The UAE and other Arab countries consider Turkey’s support for the Muslim Brotherhood in the area as a top national security danger that threatens their hereditary rule and tight control over decision-making.
Post Your Comments