Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Ankara, during which the two discussed steps to improve bilateral cooperation.
Mohammed bin Zayed’s visit to Turkey is the first since 2012, and comes as the two nations try to restore strained ties following a time of harsh regional competition.
Following meetings between the Turkish President and the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince, the two countries signed agreements on energy and technological investments.
Mohammed bin Zayed stated after the discussions that he had “fruitful” conversations with Erdoğan about boosting ties between Turkey and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
“I look forward to exploring new cooperation opportunities to benefit our two nations and advance our mutual development goals,” he said on Twitter.
Meanwhile, the Abu Dhabi Development Holding (ADQ), the Turkish Wealth Fund (TVF), and the Turkish Presidency Investment Office, as well as several Turkish companies, signed memorandums of understanding.
ADQ and Abu Dhabi Ports signed an agreement on port and logistics cooperation, as well as an agreement on investing in Turkish technology firms and establishing a technology-oriented fund.
According to a Turkish official, the agreements included one on energy and infrastructure between ADQ and Turkish business Kalyon, another on health collaboration with CCN Group, and a third on renewable energy with Turkey’s Presidency Investment Office.
The UAE announced the creation of a $10 billion fund to assist mostly strategic investments in Turkey, especially in the health and energy sectors, according to the UAE’s state news agency WAM.
Also, the Turkish and Emirati central banks signed a cooperation agreement.
The crown prince was welcomed by Turkey’s Trade Minister Mehmet Mus and other officials.
Furthermore, the two held a phone call earlier this year on August 31, during which they discussed bilateral relations and regional issues.
