President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey arrived in Abu Dhabi on Monday for his first official visit to the UAE, after a long time.
President Erdogan was greeted by the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Presidential Affairs Sheikh Mansur bin Zayed. After his arrival, Mr. Erdogan and Sheikh Mohammed were saluted in the main hall of the palace and a military band played the national anthems of both nations.
It is reported that The Turkish President is expected to spend two days at the Emirates with the target of strengthening ties between the two countries.
Diplomatic adviser to the President of the UAE Sheikh Khalifa, Dr. Enver Gargash said that Erdogan's visit to the UAE would open a new positive page in bilateral relations between the two countries and would contribute strengthening bridges of communication and cooperation aimed at stability and prosperity in the region."
Earlier, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, had visited Turkey. After the visit, the UAE announced that it had established a $10 billion investment fund in Turkey.
The visit and the investment commitment marked a significant improvement in relations. Erdogan’s latest visit is expected to consolidate those efforts and improve mutual relations.
UAE is known to be the largest trading partner of Turkey among the GCC countries. In 2020, bilateral trade between the two countries reached US$ 8 billion.
Turkey is reported to be considered among the most attractive countries by oil-rich-states in the Middle East in terms of available investment opportunities and UAE is certainly one of these states.
