UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has arrived in Ankara today for a state visit, following an invitation from His Excellency Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of the Republic of Türkiye.
Accompanying His Highness is a distinguished delegation, the Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported. The delegation includes H.H. Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior; H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Court for Special Affairs; H.H. Sheikh Zayed bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan; Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan, advisor to the UAE President; Ali bin Hammad Al Shamsi, secretary-general of the Supreme Council for National Security; Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, minister of Industry and Advanced Technology; Mohamed Hassan Alsuwaidi, minister of Investment; Mohamed bin Mubarak bin Fadhel Al Mazrouei, minister of State for Defence Affairs; Sheikh Shakhboot bin Nahyan Al Nahyan, minister of State; Khalifa Shaheen Al Marar, minister of State; Faisal Abdulaziz Al Bannai, advisor to the UAE President for Strategic Research and Advanced Technology Affairs; Dr. Ahmed Mubarak Al Mazrouei, chairman of the President’s Office for Strategic Affairs and chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Office; Sultan Al Mansoori, envoy of the minister of Foreign Affairs; Saeed Thani Al Dhaheri, UAE ambassador to the Republic of Türkiye; Dr. Abdulla Al Mandous, director-general of the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM); Mohamed Alabbar, chairman of the Board of Directors of Eagle Hills, and a number of senior officials.
Strengthening bilateral relations
The President’s visit underscores the deepening bilateral relations between the UAE and Türkiye, setting the stage for further cooperation in various sectors. In April 2025, the UAE and Türkiye convened for the second session of the Joint Economic and Trade Commission (JETCO) in Abu Dhabi. This event aimed to enhance the trade and commercial relations between the two nations and to support the objectives of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which took effect on September 1, 2023.
Expressing optimism regarding their strengthening ties, both sides reported an 11.5 percent growth in non-oil trade for 2024, totaling $40.5 billion. This achievement of surpassing $40 billion in non-oil trade, a significant target of the CEPA, arrives three years ahead of schedule. It elevates Türkiye to the position of the UAE’s fourth-largest non-oil trade partner, up from seventh in 2021.
During the meeting, His Excellency Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade, and His Excellency Ömer Bolat, Minister of Trade of the Republic of Türkiye, celebrated the swift progress in UAE-Turkish relations following the implementation of the CEPA. The discussion covered various sectors, including trade and trade finance, investment, green economy, services, advanced technology and industry, customs, regulation and standards—including Halal accreditation—and collaboration on joint projects in third countries.
UAE’s growing presence in Türkiye
In October 2023, Ahmet Burak Daglioglu, head of the Investment Office of the Turkish Presidency, noted that cumulative foreign direct investment from the UAE to Türkiye has significantly increased, reaching AED 20.6 billion ($5.6 billion) from 2002 through August 2023.
Daglioglu reported via the Emirates News Agency (WAM) that as of the first half of this year, approximately 600 UAE companies have been actively operating in Türkiye. He emphasized that the UAE ranks as Türkiye’s 13th largest trade partner for exports and the 15th largest for imports. This has resulted in a notable combined trade volume of around $10 billion recorded through 2022.
Daglioglu further pointed out that Türkiye continues to attract steady investments from the UAE, especially in sectors such as energy, healthcare, agriculture, logistics, transportation, infrastructure, finance, and tourism. Additionally, both countries are engaged in collaborative efforts addressing climate change, energy, water, and food security.
Moreover, in July 2023, the UAE and Türkiye signed agreements and MOUs worth $50.7 billion, enhancing bilateral economic cooperation and strategic partnerships.
