Officials from Turkey and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Monday discussed the prospects of developing their bilateral defense and military cooperation.

The UAE's minister of state for defense affairs, Mohammad bin Ahmed Al Bowardi, met the Turkish Ambassador to the UAE Tugay Tunçer in Abu Dhabi, the official Emirates News Agency reported.

Al Bowardi stressed "the profound ties between the two friendly countries in all areas most notably in defense."

They "discussed ways of strengthening their defense and military cooperation to serve the interest of both countries."

The Turkish ambassador expressed Turkey's "keenness to boost bilateral ties with the UAE and to open new prospects of joint cooperation."

In a tweet, the UAE's Defense Ministry said Al Bowardi "stressed the depth of friendship between the UAE and Turkey in various fields, especially in the defense and military field," and the importance of improving existing ties "to achieve development and prosperity for the two countries."

Ties between Turkey 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 (MBZ) visited Ankara and announced a $10 billion fund for investments in Turkey.

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

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

Officials have said that Turkey is strengthening relations with all Gulf countries and is open to dialogue to clear up any misunderstandings.