President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a phone call with United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Sunday, the Presidency's Directorate of Communications said in a statement. The two leaders discussed expanding cooperation and strengthening bilateral ties.
During the call, Erdoğan and Al Nahyan discussed cooperation opportunities between the two countries and steps to further strengthen bilateral relations in line with their common interests and benefiting the people of both sides. The leaders reaffirmed their determination to deepen UAE-Türkiye relations on the basis of the progress made in various areas, particularly in development partnerships. The call also addressed regional and international matters of mutual interest, as well as the latest developments in the region and work undertaken on these developments.
The leaders also noted that a meeting originally planned for this week has been postponed to a later date, saying that they would reschedule it at their earliest convenience.
Erdoğan’s July 2023 visit to the UAE marked a new milestone in relations as the two countries decided to set up a high-level strategic council, essentially recognizing each other as strategic partners. Since then, commercial relations between the two countries significantly increased. Sheikh Mohammed was a guest of Erdoğan last July, co-chairing the first meeting of the council, after Erdoğan’s last visit to his country in February 2024.
The UAE is Türkiye’s biggest trade partner in the Gulf and bilateral trade volume was about $16 billion in 2024. The two countries aim to increase it to $20 billion in the short term and $40 billion in the medium term.
Türkiye and the UAE laid the foundation for a comprehensive economic partnership deal during Erdoğan’s 2022 visit to Abu Dhabi and the deal came into force in September 2023, strengthening commercial deals. The two countries implemented new customs regulations for tax discounts, boosting commercial momentum in the defense industry, energy, logistics, real estate and technology. The UAE was the fourth country with the most Turkish exports last year.