UAE delegation 'in Ankara for defense talks'

A Turkish official told Reuters that a delegation of United Arab Emirates government officials is in Ankara to discuss "cooperation opportunities" with Turkey's defense industry.

Tuesday December 07 2021 06:19 pm

Turkish President Erdoğan and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the UAE's de facto ruler, review a guard of honour during a welcome ceremony in Ankara, Turkey, November 24, 2021.

Reuters

A delegation of United Arab Emirates government officials is in Ankara to discuss "cooperation opportunities" with Turkey's defense industry, a Turkish official said on Dec. 7.

Ankara and Abu Dhabi signed accords for billions of dollars of investments two weeks ago and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said they would herald a "new era" in ties.

As part of a charm offensive launched last year, Turkey has also moved to repair ties with Egypt and Saudi Arabia but those talks have yielded little public improvement.

The UAE delegation met with the government-run Defense Industries Directorate (SSB) on Dec. 6, the official said on condition of anonymity.

SSB Chairman İsmail Demir said at the weekend that the two countries had the potential to work together in the defense sector, indicating that Abu Dhabi had shown interest in the Turkish sector.

"When we look at our defense industry figures, we see that our defense industry relations continued even during times of crises. There was contact even when relations were not at their highest," Demir said.

"I would like to point out that these contacts will be better when relations improve."

The Defense Industries' Directorate and Aselsan did not respond to questions about the talks. The UAE's media office and defence ministry also did not respond.

Turkey said in September it was in talks with the UAE over investments in energy such as power generation. The UAE, whose sovereign wealth funds have made significant investments in Turkish online grocer Getir and e-commerce platform Trendyol, has said it seeks deeper economic ties with Ankara.

The UAE has accelerated a push to step back from regional conflicts and refocus on the economy. Its ties with Turkey had been strained over the role of Islamist groups in the tumult that followed the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings, and the countries were on opposite sides in Libya's conflict.