Erdogan’s visit to the UAE: Joint Action and Prospects for Cooperation
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to the United Arab Emirates on Monday saw the signing of a number of strategic agreements that herald a new phase of joint cooperation between the UAE and Turkey.
Prospects for cooperation and joint action
Sheik Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, and Erdogan discussed bilateral relations and the prospects for cooperation and joint action between the UAE and Turkey, in addition to regional and international issues and developments of interest to both countries.
This came during Sheik Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s reception of the Turkish president and his entourage at the Al Watan Palace in Abu Dhabi.
The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and the Turkish President reviewed the various cooperation opportunities available in the two countries, especially in the investment, economic and development fields, in addition to agriculture, food security, health, technology and innovation, space projects, artificial intelligence and renewable energy.
The volume of agreements and memorandums of understanding signed by the two countries during their recent visit to Turkey has laid the foundation for a new and major start for economic and trade partnership between the two countries, Sheik Mohammed bin Zayed said.
The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi said the UAE is keen to strengthen this partnership and push it forward in the coming period, and to double the volume of trade between the UAE and Turkey.
Exchange of views
The two sides also exchanged views on a number of issues and developments in the Middle East region, stressing in this context the shared views of the two countries on the importance of supporting peaceful efforts and solutions aimed at promoting security, peace and stability in the region, which constitute the basic pillars of cooperation, development and progress towards the future that its peoples and countries aspire to.
Sheik Mohammed expressed his thanks and appreciation for Turkey’s stance on condemning the Houthi terrorist attacks on civilian sites in the United Arab Emirates, and its solidarity with the state in confronting these criminal attacks, wishing Turkey lasting security, stability and prosperity.
Sheik Mohammed bin Zayed said: Strengthening development partnerships for the benefit of the peoples of the region requires cooperative relations between its States, especially in light of the many common interests between the Arab and Turkish sides, and the opportunities for growth, cooperation and prosperity that are available for the benefit of all.
The UAE welcomes every step on the path of cooperation, understanding and peace in the region, based on its approach based on promoting co-operation and co-existence that is in the interest of development, prosperity and stability, he said.
Sheik Mohammed bin Zayed said: The State is keen to cooperate with Turkey to face the many common challenges that the region is witnessing through dialog, understanding, consultation and diplomatic solutions.
The UAE recently announced the establishment of a $10 billion investment fund in Turkey that will focus on strategic investments, foremost among which are the logistics sectors such as energy, health and food.
UAE investment flows to Turkey totaled about 18.4 billion dirhams at the end of 2020. Meanwhile, Turkish investments in the UAE reached more than 1.3 billion dirhams at the beginning of 2020. Turkish investments are concentrated in the sectors of construction, real estate, finance, insurance, industry and information technology.
