Turkish and UAE ministers explore space on Twitter

UAE Minister of State for Advanced Technology Sarah Al Amiri thanks Turkish minister for his praise of Hope mission

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Senior UAE and Turkey ministers exchanged tweets over the success of the Hope mission and the future of space exploration.

Mustafa Varank, Turkey's Minister of Industry and Technology, started the exchange by paying tribute to the UAE's history-making mission to Mars.

"Each new discovery in space has the potential of increasing international co-operation, serving the interests of the world peace," he wrote.

"The success of the UAE Hope Mission, in which they have been investing for a long time, is worthy of praise. Congratulations."

The UAE's Minister of State for Advanced Technology and chairwoman of the UAE Space Agency, Sarah Al Amiri, responded in a note written in English and Turkish, saying space exploration has always been a way of building bridges and wishing Turkey well in its new programme.

"I wish Turkey a successful journey of discovery towards the Moon in 2023, increasing the region's contribution to space exploration," she wrote.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan this month unveiled an ambitious 10-year rocket programme with plans to send a mission to the Moon and astronauts into space. The announcement came as the UAE became the fifth country and the first in the region to send a mission to Mars.