TEHRAN // Hassan Rouhani arrives in Turkey on Monday in the first visit by an Iranian president since the start of the Syrian civil war, which has strained relations between the two regional powerhouses.
In a bid to repair ties damaged by the conflict, Mr Rouhani plans to sign six agreements during his trip, including pacts on energy and trade.
Tehran is a key supporter of Syrian president Bashar Al Assad while Ankara supports the rebels fighting to depose him. But with the conflict now deadlocked in its fourth year and Mr Rouhani elected last summer promising to end Iran’s isolation, both Tehran and Ankara are looking to improve their relationship.
“The two countries’ need for each other is reciprocal because of their relationship as neighbours,” said Hassan Beheshtipour, a Tehran-based analyst. “They realised that they couldn’t ignore each other as they are the two leading regional powers, despite having different points of view in their policies.”
Another point of friction is Iraq, where Tehran has influence over the central government in Baghdad, while Ankara has close ties with the Kurdish authorities in energy-rich northern Iraq. Tensions increased after the Kurds exported their first major oil shipment via Turkey last month without the consent of Baghdad.
Turkey’s plans to host an early warning radar system, part of Nato’s missile defence system, also, escalated tensions. Many speculated that the decision led to the cancellation of former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s planned trip to Turkey in December 2012.
Mr Rouhani is scheduled to meet his Turkish counterpart, Abdullah Gul, and prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan during his two-day trip.
He will also attend the first meeting of the Supreme Strategic Cooperation Council, a joint board formed with the goal of improving bilateral cooperation.
Before Mr Rouhani’s visit, Mahmoud Vaezi, an Iranian government minister and the president’s special aide to Turkey, visited Ankara and discussed cooperation in the energy sector.
Turkey imports 10 billion cubic metres per year of natural gas from Iran.
Turkey is seen by Iran as a conduit to export oil and natural gas to Europe and energy negotiations will be among the main discussion points between Mr Rouhani and Turkey’s leaders.
“Turkish officials were interested in increasing natural gas imports from the Islamic Republic,” Mr Vaezi said.
In January, during a visit by Mr Erdogan to Tehran, the two countries announced that they aim to more than double their annual trade volume to $30 billion (Dh110.1bn) next year from $14.6bn last year.
The total annual trade between Iran and Turkey peaked at $21.9bn in 2012, but declined because of international sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme and a breakdown in relations.
The last official visit by an Iranian president to Turkey was by Mr Ahmadinejad in 2008.
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Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
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The biog
Favourite car: Ferrari
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Best movie: Avatar
Academic qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in media production from the Higher Colleges of Technology and diploma in production from the New York Film Academy
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Number of Chinese tourists coming to UAE in 2017 was... 1.3m
Alibaba’s new ‘Tech Town’ in Dubai is worth... $600m
China’s investment in the MIddle East in 2016 was... $29.5bn
The world’s most valuable start-up in 2018, TikTok, is valued at... $75bn
Boost to the UAE economy of 5G connectivity will be... $269bn
Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm
Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm
Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm
Off-roading in the UAE: How to checklist
What is safeguarding?
“Safeguarding, not just in sport, but in all walks of life, is making sure that policies are put in place that make sure your child is safe; when they attend a football club, a tennis club, that there are welfare officers at clubs who are qualified to a standard to make sure your child is safe in that environment,” Derek Bell explains.
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Transmission: eight-speed automatic
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Torque: 353Nm
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On sale: Q2, 2020
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Company name: Fasset
Started: 2019
Founders: Mohammad Raafi Hossain, Daniel Ahmed
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $2.45 million
Current number of staff: 86
Investment stage: Pre-series B
Investors: Investcorp, Liberty City Ventures, Fatima Gobi Ventures, Primal Capital, Wealthwell Ventures, FHS Capital, VN2 Capital, local family offices
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Directors: John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein
Stars: Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Rege-Jean Page, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis
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Company name: Namara
Started: June 2022
Founder: Mohammed Alnamara
Based: Dubai
Sector: Microfinance
Current number of staff: 16
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Family offices
'Will of the People'
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Label: Warner
Rating: 2.5/5
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Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 and electric motor
Max power: 700hp at 7,500rpm
Max torque: 720Nm at 2,250rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
0-100km/h: 3.0sec
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Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
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Company: Eco Way
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SERIES INFO
Afghanistan v Zimbabwe, Abu Dhabi Sunshine Series
All matches at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Test series
1st Test: Zimbabwe beat Afghanistan by 10 wickets
2nd Test: Wednesday, 10 March – Sunday, 14 March
Play starts at 9.30am
T20 series
1st T20I: Wednesday, 17 March
2nd T20I: Friday, 19 March
3rd T20I: Saturday, 20 March
TV
Supporters in the UAE can watch the matches on the Rabbithole channel on YouTube
