Erdoğan, UAE leader hold strategic talks in Ankara

ANKARA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan welcomed his United Arab Emirates counterpart, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in Ankara on July 16 for talks aimed at strengthening bilateral ties and addressing regional developments.

The two leaders are expected to discuss "steps to deepen the strategic partnership between the two countries," Burhanettin Duran, communications director for the Turkish presidency, wrote on X. They were also to "exchange views on current regional and global issues," he added.

Erdoğan and Sheikh Mohammed also chaired the inaugural meeting of a high-level strategic council established in 2023 to bolster cooperation between the two nations. Following the meeting, a series of commercial agreements were signed.

Trade volume between Türkiye and the UAE exceeded $15 billion in 2024, according to official data.

The UAE has recently taken on a more active diplomatic role in the region. It has reportedly facilitated back-channel communications between Syria and Israel since May and hosted Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Abu Dhabi last week.

Earlier this month, the city was also the venue for a meeting between Azerbaijani President İlham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan — their first formal meeting since agreeing in March on a draft peace treaty. Türkiye has tied its own normalization process with Armenia to progress in the Baku-Yerevan peace talks.

Erdoğan, who also hosted Pashinyan and Aliyev earlier this month, expressed strong support for the Abu Dhabi initiative.

Over the weekend, Erdoğan and Sheikh Mohammed spoke by phone to discuss bilateral relations and regional developments.

During the call, Erdoğan said his government's "terror-free Türkiye" initiative was a "significant step toward removing terrorism from both the national and regional agendas," vowing to pursue it with determination.

The UAE president, for his part, conveyed his belief that Türkiye's efforts would “significantly contribute to regional security” and extended his best wishes for its success.

Erdoğan further said the strategic partnership between Türkiye and the UAE “has positive impacts in every field,” noting the “great potential in many areas, particularly in the defense industry and new technologies.”

Erdoğan reaffirmed Türkiye’s continued support for peace efforts in the South Caucasus and said Ankara is closely following the Armenia-Azerbaijan talks initiated in Abu Dhabi.

Sheikh Mohammed last visited Türkiye in June 2023, followed by Erdoğan’s trip to the UAE in February 2024.