Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is capping his Gulf trip in the United Arab Emirates as he drums up investments and eyes new momentum in bilateral ties.

Erdoğan said Türkiye will ensure that relations with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are addressed regularly at the highest level through the High-Level Strategic Council mechanism.

Expressing satisfaction with the development of close dialogue and cooperation on the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations with the UAE, Erdoğan said Türkiye aims to strengthen legal infrastructure with UAE in areas including investment promotion, security, renewable energy and transportation.

"With the joint agreement we will sign, we will elevate our relations to the level of strategic partnership," Erdoğan said, adding: "We find it beneficial to organize a Trade and Investment Forum in Istanbul in the autumn to introduce the agreement to our business world."

The Turkish leader, accompanied by his First Lady Emine Erdoğan, arrived in the UAE ahead of one-on-one talks with his Emirati counterpart Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s official WAM news agency said Wednesday, with footage of the couple disembarking from a presidential plane to be greeted by Emirati officials.

Türkiye is of great importance within the UAE’s strategy to strengthen its partnerships, expand its relations with various brotherly and friendly countries and enhance cooperation in all fields, WAM wrote.

Later in the day, Erdoğan will also attend a state banquet held in his honor.

All aspects of bilateral relations will be reviewed during the talks and steps to enhance cooperation in various areas, particularly the economy, will be discussed.

At a news conference in Istanbul before his tour, Erdoğan said that Türkiye’s relations with the UAE are developing in every area, adding: "The UAE is the country with whom we recently trade the most in the Gulf region. We want to increase this figure to a level befitting the true potential of our two countries."

The tour included stops in Qatar and Saudi Arabia and saw Erdoğan preside over the signing of lucrative deals to boost the Turkish economy. In Qatar, Erdoğan met with ruler Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and agreed to expand investments and military and political cooperation.

Earlier in Saudi Arabia, Riyadh signed a major drone procurement contract with a Turkish defense firm in a further sign of rapprochement.

Ankara has recently repaired relations with Gulf states, including the UAE and Saudi Arabia, after years of rivalry following the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings.

Gaining momentum

With relations on the mend, a flurry of diplomatic contacts followed in the post-pandemic era, where mutual visits and investments surged.

In August 2021, National Security Adviser Sheik Tahnun bin Zayed Al Nahyan made the first visit to Türkiye, followed months later by the UAE’s president, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, arriving in Ankara for the first official visit in years. Erdoğan reciprocated in February 2022 by traveling to Abu Dhabi to bolster political and economic ties.

In June last year, Al Nahyan was back in Istanbul to improve strategic relations and bolster economic partnerships. He and Erdoğan even watched the UEFA Champions League final game in Istanbul together.

Last month, Al Nahyan met with Erdoğan in Türkiye again shortly after May polls saw the Turkish leader clinch another five-year term.

Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz and Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek met with the Emirati president during a June visit to the UAE.

Boosting investment

The diplomatic contacts were also accompanied by trade deals and partnership agreements.

In the UAE president’s visit in November 2021, when non-oil trade volume was around $13 billion (TL 350 billion), Ankara and Abu Dhabi signed a total of ten deals, including exchanging financial information to prevent money laundering and financing terrorism, cooperation between Abu Dhabi Port Company and Türkiye Wealth Fund, as well as the central banks and stock markets of both nations.

The same month, UAE unveiled a $10 billion fund for Türkiye investments, which Erdoğan and Al Nahyan inked on paper during Erdoğan’s visit to Abu Dhabi months later. The deals reached 13 to cultivate partnerships in defense, healthcare, climate change, industry, culture, trade and many other fields.

Last year, the two countries signed a nearly $5-billion currency swap deal to boost Ankara’s dilapidated foreign currency reserves when non-oil trade volume measured $19 billion.

In March this year came a free trade agreement to increase bilateral commerce to $40 billion annually within five years.

Another objective is to create 25,000 jobs in the UAE and 100,000 others in Türkiye as per a partnership framework.

Emirati ambassador to Ankara this week said, "Soaring trade volume has made Türkiye the fastest growing one among the UAE’s top 10 trade partners," accounting for over 3% of the country’s non-oil foreign trade.

Earthquake aid

The two countries have also demonstrated solidarity after two deadly earthquakes ravaged Türkiye’s south on Feb. 6, leaving more than 52,000 dead and hundreds of thousands of buildings destroyed, as well as some 5,800 others in northern Syria.

Days following the disaster, Al Nahyan announced UAE would send $50 million in cash support for the victims while his mother, Sheik Fatimah bint Mubarak, pledged $13.6 million for the affected region.

Furthermore, the Emirati president launched a donation campaign that sent 58 planes laden with 906 tons of food, humanitarian aid, medical goods, and tents.

The country’s national airline, Emirates, formed an air bridge from Dubai to Istanbul to deliver aid to victims in Türkiye and Syria, dispatching in the meantime three teams consisting of 134 search and rescuers while Emirati officials set up field hospitals in heavily-hit cities.

Erdoğan awarded a Medal of Self-Sacrifice to the Emirati crews for their services in the region.

Cultural ties

Culturally, the two countries have witnessed growing cooperation, including Türkiye’s participation as the guest of honor at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair 2023 and Turkish presence during the activities of Expo 2020 Dubai.

The Emirates Publishers Association also participated in the Istanbul International Arab Book Fair, showcasing books from 31 Emirati publishing houses.

Erdoğan’s visit found resounding praise in broader Emirati media. The Al-Ittihad newspaper highlighted the five summits between the UAE and Türkiye and their role in strengthening the comprehensive and strategic partnership between the two countries, emphasizing the ongoing economic integration. Local media outlets, such as Al-Bayan, Emirates Today and Al-Khaleej, also celebrated Erdoğan’s arrival in the country and shared video clips of the moment of his arrival.