Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed held talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on bilateral relations and issues of common interest, amid expectations that the visit would contribute to resolving crises in the region.
The two sides discussed ways to enhance cooperation and joint work in various fields to achieve their mutual interests.
Turkey out of isolation
In their conversations with “Sky News Arabia”, Turkish analysts praised the visit, which came after the tense relations of the past years, hoping that it would reflect positively on the political situation and attract Emirati investments at a time when the Turkish economy is suffering greatly with increasing inflation rates and the decline in the exchange rate of the lira to record levels.
The Turkish political analyst, Cavad Gök, described the visit of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed as very important, and said that the Turkish government had been looking for a while to improve its relations with the UAE.
Gok added, “The goal is to improve relations, and economically Turkey wants to complete the Turkish-Iranian corridor, which will enable it to deliver its goods to the world through the UAE in a period of time that may decrease to 8 days, and will also allow it to reach the markets of Asia and Africa faster.”
He expected that the Emirati-Turkish rapprochement would help improve Ankara’s relations with the rest of the Arab countries, which have differences with Turkey.
big changes
Turkish political analyst Abdullah Aydogan agrees with him, who says that Ankara is “returning to its Arab surroundings through major changes and a policy of reducing crises, starting with Cairo and passing through the Gulf states.”
The Turkish analyst considered that the year 2022 will witness a major shift in Turkish relations with Egypt and the Gulf states, through the return of ambassadors and activities that “benefit all countries economically, politically and socially.”
Turkish analyst Hisham Junay also believes that the visit is of great importance because it comes after years of tension in the two countries’ relations, especially since the UAE restored its relationship with Syria through the visit of Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs to Damascus.
Junay added that “the UAE is using its regional weight to defuse tensions in the region, and the visit witnessed a discussion of the files of conflicts in Syria and Libya to try to find solutions, in addition to discussing the relations of the two countries.”
Dr. Shway Nilhan Açıkalin, assistant professor at Ankara Haci University, also sees the restoration of Turkish-Emirati relations as “an important development, not only for the two countries but also for the region.”
She adds that the process of rapprochement began with Erdogan’s meeting with Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed, the Emirati national security advisor, noting that Emirati investments in Turkey were present at the dialogue table.
previous developments
Recently, it witnessed a number of contacts and meetings between officials of the two countries. On August 30, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed and the Turkish President discussed bilateral relations during a telephone conversation.
And two weeks before that, specifically on August 18, the Turkish president met an Emirati delegation headed by Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
At the beginning of this November, the UAE provided 10 million dollars to contribute to the rehabilitation of Turkish regions, which were affected by forest fires and floods.
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