Speaking to Turkish media members during his return from the 15th summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) in Turkmenistan's capital Ashgabat, Erdogan evaluated the recent visit of Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed (MBZ).
Deals made with the UAE during the visit will mark the beginning of a new era in the bilateral relations between the two countries, Erdogan stated.
"We had a meeting with Mohammed bin Zayed in 2011. After that, we went through some different periods. But we did not completely break ties. At least the intelligence agencies continued their talks. Meanwhile, our commercial relations continued. Despite these undesirable developments, the issue eventually came to a good point," the president said.
Erdogan noted that the crown prince’s brother, the UAE National Security Adviser Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, visited Turkey in August as the first major step toward mending strained ties.
"They held talks with our relevant units. They had some meetings with our Investment Office. They said that they are ready for investment in Turkey. Later, Mohammed bin Zayed himself said that he especially wanted to visit, and that's how we made this visit," he said.
President Erdogan last week hosted MBZ, as Turkey and the UAE seek to repair their relations and increase economic cooperation. The visit by the crown prince, seen as the de facto leader and the force behind the UAE’s foreign policy posture, was his first official trip to Turkey since 2012, and the highest-level visit by an Emirati official since relations hit a low as the countries have battled for regional influence and backed opposing sides in conflicts.
Turkish officials described MBZ's visit as the "beginning of a new era" following years of hostility after Ankara blamed the UAE for financing the 2016 coup plotters in Turkey and undermining Turkish interests in Libya. The UAE media also said that the visit will carry the relations between Turkey and Arab countries into a new period.
During the visit, Turkey and the UAE signed bilateral cooperation agreements in numerous fields, including trade, energy and the environment. The UAE also allocated a $10 billion fund to invest in Turkey.
