UAE and Turkey work towards diplomatic rapprochement
From the moment Recep Tayyip Erdogan became Turkey's president, international agreements have been an odyssey for Ankara. Not surprisingly, Erdogan has charted a path that has been littered with enemies and very few allies. Proof of this are the constant diplomatic clashes in which his country finds itself day in and day out. That is why the Turkish leader wants to reverse a situation that he has been provoking for years, and intends to make a rapprochement with one of the most important countries in the Gulf region, the United Arab Emirates.
In the last few days, a phone call between Abu Dhabi's crown prince, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and the Turkish president took place. The call followed Erdogan's meeting with UAE national security adviser Sheikh Tahnoun Bin Zayed and subsequent expressions of optimism about the future of relations by officials from both countries. According to analysts, the telephone conversation between Zayed and Erdogan would mark the culmination of the rapprochement between Turkey and the UAE and a reflection of a new vision for the UAE and the Gulf.
Improved political ties with Abu Dhabi can usher in new economic and trade prospects and, at the same time, provide Turkey with a new perspective on its relations with the Arab Gulf countries. For Erdogan's side, the financial boost that a rapprochement with these countries can - and should - bring is vital when on the social and political side you have a situation as complicated as the one Turkey is currently experiencing. Many of these are a consequence of the controversial alliances that the president has established, such as the one that has linked them for so long to the Muslim Brotherhood, which he now intends to change with this contact with the UAE.
According to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed and Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed "bilateral relations and ways to improve and develop them to serve the common interests of the two countries". The two leaders also exchanged 'views on a number of international and regional issues and files of common interest', they note. It seems more urgent for Turkey than for the UAE, but Abu Dhabi, not surprisingly, will not miss the opportunity to continue to gain advantages and further extend a zone of influence that is steadily expanding across the region.
The call between Erdogan and Abu Dhabi's crown prince was "very positive and friendly", UAE presidential diplomatic adviser Anwar Gargash said on his Twitter account on Tuesday. He said it was part of a new phase in which the UAE seeks to "build bridges, maximise common goals and work together with friends and brothers, to ensure future decades of regional stability and prosperity for all peoples and countries in the region".
The momentum of reconciliation, illustrated by the Turkish-Emirati and Emirati-Qatari meetings, is expected to defuse confrontation over a number of contentious regional issues. It is also important to note that the United States is keeping a close eye on all of these contacts and is a major stakeholder in making such rapprochements productive. The coming together and the formation of regional alliances on which it can rely is a very important factor in addressing one of the most important challenges facing Joe Biden's country, namely the confrontation with Iran, both at the strategic and regional level, as well as at the nuclear level.
