UAE President and Turkish President Erdogan Discuss Bilateral Cooperation and Regional Stability in Phone Call

UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a phone call on Friday, September 5, to discuss strengthening bilateral cooperation and regional developments, according to WAM, ARN News Centre, Dubai Eye 103.8, and multiple regional outlets. The two leaders reviewed the latest regional developments and stressed the importance of stepping up efforts to strengthen security and stability in the Middle East and advance lasting peace. The call comes as the UAE continues to navigate the six-month-old US-Iran conflict, which has disrupted air travel, trade routes, and regional economic activity. Turkey and the UAE have deepened economic ties since the March 2023 Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement came into force, and this dialogue reflects ongoing coordination between the two countries on both commercial and geopolitical fronts. This conversation matters because it underscores the UAE's active diplomatic engagement with a key regional partner at a moment when alliances are being tested and reshaped by the protracted Middle East crisis. Turkey's own stance on the US-Iran conflict — critical of attacks on Gulf states while maintaining channels to Tehran — makes it a strategic interlocutor for Abu Dhabi as the UAE balances its security partnership with Washington against the economic and humanitarian costs of sustained hostilities. For UAE-based businesses and investors, the UAE-Turkey alignment signals continued trade corridor stability and potential for expanded joint ventures in sectors ranging from defense to logistics, even as the broader regional environment remains volatile. The call also follows closely after the UAE's pardon of Abdul Rahman Al-Qaradawi, a Turkish resident, suggesting possible coordination on sensitive diplomatic issues.