Turkiye, UAE discuss strengthening bilateral defence cooperation

Turkiye and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), on Monday, discussed the prospects of developing their bilateral defence and military cooperation, Anadolu News Agency reports.

UAE’s Minister of State for Defence Affairs, Mohammad bin Ahmed Al-Bowardi, met Turkiye’s ambassador to the UAE, Tugay Tuncer, in Abu Dhabi, the official Emirates News Agency reported.

Al-Bowardi stressed on “the profound ties between the two friendly countries in all areas most notably in defence.”

They “discussed ways of strengthening their defence and military cooperation to serve the interests of both countries.”

The Turkish ambassador expressed Turkiye’s “keenness to boost bilateral ties with the UAE and to open new prospects of joint cooperation.”

In a tweet, the UAE’s Defence Ministry said Al-Bowardi “stressed the depth of friendship between the UAE and Turkey in various fields, especially in the defence and military field,” and the importance of improving existing ties “to achieve development and prosperity for the two countries.”

READ: Turkiye to improve relations with Gulf countries, says FM

Ties between Turkiye and the Arab world are experiencing a major thaw after years of tense relations. Late last year, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan visited Ankara and announced a $10 billion fund for investments in Turkiye.

Turkiye and the UAE also signed several agreements on energy, environment, finance and trade during the visit.

While Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, visited the UAE last December, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set to undertake an official visit to the Gulf nation this month.

Officials have said that Turkiye is strengthening relations with all Gulf countries, and is open to dialogue to clear any misunderstanding.