UAE’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed met separately with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu during a visit to Istanbul, state news agency (WAM) reported on Saturday.
The meetings discussed bilateral relations and regional and international developments, including the crisis in Ukraine.
During his meeting with Cavusoglu, Sheikh Abdullah reaffirmed that both countries’ leaders are keen on solidifying the partnership between Turkey and the UAE.
In a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart, Sheikh Abdullah said this partnership can contribute to achieving the aspirations of the Emirati and Turkish people and enhance Turkey’s and the UAE’s regional status.
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He also said that renewable energy is one of the fields which the UAE is interested in to strengthen ties with Turkey, adding that this sector is not only successful on the commercial level but also significant for countries that work toward reducing carbon emissions in the world.
Sheikh Abdullah also highlighted the increase in the volume of trade between the two countries to about 50 billion dirhams ($13.6 billion).
"We have achieved an 82% growth in trade exchanges within two years,” Sheikh Abdullah said, attributing this increase to the hard work of the UAE’s and Turkey’s governments.
“We are not only keen on working with Turkey but also interested in working with Turkey in other countries in Africa, Latin America, central Asia, southeast Asia and south Asia,” he said.
Discussions also tackled regional and international challenges, particularly issues related to food security, Sheikh Abdullah said, adding that they also explored opportunities of joint work to enhance both countries’ food security.
Sheikh Abdullah also touched on Cavusoglu’s recent visit to Israel where the Turkish official met with Israeli and Palestinian officials.
“Encouraging the Palestinians and Israelis to return to dialogue is very important… What you did during the visit is very important in terms of encouraging the Palestinians and Israelis to [end this stalemate],” he said.
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