Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed concludes trip to Turkey

UAE announces establishment of strategic investment fund during visit to Ankara

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Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, travelled to Turkey on Wednesday for talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Sheikh Mohamed was invited to make the official visit to Ankara by the Turkish leader.

He was received at the presidential palace by Mr Erdogan.

An official reception ceremony was held in honour of Sheikh Mohamed after the arrival of his convoy on the palatial grounds.

A cavalry raised the flags of the two countries before Sheikh Mohamed and Mr Erdogan headed to a podium as the national anthems of the UAE and Turkey were played.

A 21-gun salute was fired as soldiers formed a guard of honour.

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed welcomed to Turkey with guard of honour

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed welcomed to Turkey with guard of honour

After talks between Sheikh Mohamed and Mr Erdogan, the UAE announced the establishment of a $10 billion fund to support investments in Turkey.

The fund will focus on strategic investments, including energy, health and food.

Several memorandums of understanding were also signed at a meeting attended by both Sheikh Mohamed and Mr Erdogan

At the end of the trip, Sheikh Mohamed expressed his gratitude for the warm hospitality extended to the UAE delegation.

"This visit has provided an opportunity to discuss ways of enhancing relations between our countries, in a way that will serve our common interests and benefit our two friendly peoples," he said in a cable of thanks on Wednesday evening.

The UAE delegation included Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed, National Security Adviser, and Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad, chairman of Abu Dhabi Airports Company.

Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, was also part of the high-level delegation.

He told Turkish broadcaster TRT World, that the countries are home to two of the "most dynamic economies" in the region.

"The main aim of Sheikh Mohamed’s visit is to create economic value through enhancing trade, business partnerships and investments," he said.

"The UAE and Turkey have two of the most dynamic economies and societies in the region. We both have diverse cultures, we are both focused on economic growth and we both believe that economic progress is key to achieving a sustainable future.

"This visit is significant in a number of ways. It comes at a time when both the UAE and Turkey are working together on a vision for a more peaceful, stable and prosperous future for the region. This collaboration is centred around tolerance, mutual benefit, shared interests and building bridges."

Suhail Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, Mariam Al Mheiri, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, and Minister of State for Food Security, and Ali Al Shamsi, deputy secretary general of the Supreme National Security Council, are also among the officials.

Also in attendance are Jassim Al Zaabi, chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Finance and member of the Executive Council, Faris Al Mazrouei, Adviser at the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, Mohamed Al Mazrouei, undersecretary of the Crown Prince Court of Abu Dhabi, Ali Ba’Alawi, head of the UAE Financial Intelligence Unit, Mohammed Al Neyadi, Charge d’Affairs of the UAE Embassy in Turkey, Mohamed Al Suwaidi, chief executive of ADQ, Mohamed Al Shamsi, group chief executive of Abu Dhabi Ports, Saeed Al Dhaheri, chief executive of Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, and Mohamed Al Abbar, chairman of Eagle Hills developers.

Sheikh Mohamed and Mr Erdogan previously exchanged views on various topics in a phone call in August.

They explored the prospects of building relations between the countries during that call.

Those talks came days after a UAE delegation met Mr Erdogan in Ankara to discuss ways to consolidate ties between the two countries, particularly in the fields of trade, transport, health and energy.

The Emirati delegation was led by Sheikh Tahnoun.

Updated: November 25, 2021, 5:54 AM