Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke on the phone with the de facto ruler of the United Arab Emirates, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on Monday in a further sign of improving relations between the regional rivals.
Turkey and the UAE have accused each other of destabilising the region through interventions in countries such as Libya and Yemen, while the UAE has sided with Greece in its spat with Turkey over territory in the eastern Mediterranean.
“Relations between the countries and regional issues were discussed in the talks,” Erdoğan’s office said in a statement, according to the state-run Anadolu news agency.
The two leaders reviewed the prospects of reinforcing relations in a way that serves their common interests and their two peoples, the UAE’s official WAM news agency said.
The negotiations followed a meeting two weeks ago between Erdoğan and UAE National Security Adviser Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Those talks focused on cooperation in economic affairs and investment, according to official statements.
Moves to improve bilateral ties come as Turkey seeks to ease tensions with several Arab countries, inflamed by the conflict in Libya, Turkey’s alignment with the Muslim Brotherhood and Erdoğan’s efforts to become a voice for Muslims in the region.
Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan