President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan paid a visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Tuesday to offer his condolences after the death of its ruler and meet with the new president.
The UAE named the Abu Dhabi crown prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (MBZ) its new president following the death of his half-brother, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, last Friday.
Erdoğan and his delegation were welcomed by the new leader at the airport.
During his trip to Abu Dhabi, Erdoğan will hold a bilateral meeting with Sheikh Mohammed, a statement by the Turkish Communications Directorate said.
An array of world leaders descended over the weekend to honor the late Sheikh Khalifa, including French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris led a high-powered American delegation to the UAE on Monday. The delegation included Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, CIA Director William Burns and climate envoy John Kerry, among others.
Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) also headed to the UAE on Monday to offer condolences, state media reported.
MBZ has served as the country’s de facto ruler and shaped the country’s foreign policy since Sheikh Khalifa suffered a stroke nearly a decade ago.
Sheikh Khalifa, the UAE's long-ailing ruler, also known as a pro-Western modernizer who had aligned the Gulf Arab state closer to the United States and its allies, passed away at the age of 73 after battling illness for several years.
Born in 1948, Sheikh Khalifa was chosen in 2004 to succeed his long-serving father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who ascended the throne in 1971.
