President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (MBZ) discussed bilateral relations in a phone call on Sunday, the Turkish Presidency's Directorate of Communications said.
MBZ called Erdoğan and the two leaders exchanged views on bilateral matters, including cooperation in investments, trade, energy, transportation, infrastructure and technology, the directorate noted in a statement.
The presidents also agreed on expanding bilateral cooperation to include the military and defense industry.
Al Nahyan also conveyed condolences to Erdoğan over the coal mine blast on Friday in Türkiye's northern Bartın province that killed 41 miners and injured many others.
At least 110 miners were working in the mine shaft when the explosion occurred on Friday evening.
According to Energy Minister Fatih Dönmez, initial findings indicate the blast was caused by firedamp, an explosive mixture of flammable gases in mines.
In addition, Ankara and Abu Dhabi have moved to put years of tense relations behind them, opening the doors to a new phase in bilateral relations marked by deeper economic cooperation after a yearslong dispute.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan paid a return visit to the UAE in mid-February, after a trip by MBZ to Ankara in late November that marked a significant move toward overcoming disputes.
MBZ, who had led the UAE for years as the de facto ruler, became president this May.
The visit, which was Erdoğan’s first to the Gulf country since 2013, was marked by a score of agreements, including on trade, industry, defense, health and medical sciences, land and sea transportation, and climate action.
The visit last November had yielded investment accords worth billions of dollars and was Al Nahyan’s first official trip to Türkiye since 2012 and the highest-level visit by an Emirati official since relations between the two countries hit a low.
