Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

and the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

share extensive cultural, military and economic ties, but relations have substantially deteriorated since

Arab Spring The Arab Spring () was a series of Nonviolent resistance, anti-government protests, Rebellion, uprisings, and Insurgency, armed rebellions that spread across much of the Arab world in the early 2010s. It began Tunisian revolution, in Tunisia ...

, and later started to recover in the recent years.

Economic relations

Turkey is one of the UAE's largest trading partners, with US$9 billion in annual bilateral trade volume - triggering a rise of 800 percent in the last seven years; the year of 2008 saw foreign trade figures reveal Turkey as one of the UAE's top 10 biggest suppliers while over the past five years (2004-2008), UAE's exports to Turkey have increased six-fold. In an attempt to enhance tourism bonds, the UAE launched new

Etihad Airways Etihad Airways is one of the two flag carriers of the United Arab Emirates (the other being Emirates). Its head office is in Khalifa City, Abu Dhabi, near Zayed International Airport. The airline commenced operations in November 2003, and ...

flights to

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

in 2009, serving the city four times a week. Emirati businessmen have been encouraged by multiple real estate agencies to invest in Turkey, as part of Turkey's ongoing privatization efforts. In 2010, both sides pledged on improving commercial relations through common projects and convene officials in the future to determine possible areas of cooperation. There is considerable Turkish presence in the UAE including Turkish construction companies which have put their signature on many developments in the region. In addition, there is a small community of Turks in the United Arab Emirates. According to the Turkish embassy, the number of Turkish companies established in the UAE is over 400, with 75 of those operating in and around

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

. On 24 November 2021, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates signed accords on energy and technology investments after talks between President Tayyip Erdogan and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan in Ankara.

Diplomatic relations

Egyptian Crisis (2011–14)

The diplomatic relations between the two countries have soured over differing attitudes to the

Egyptian crisis ''Egyptian'' describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of years ...

and its aftermath, with Turkey backing the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt and the UAE supporting military rule under President

Abdel Fattah el-Sisi Abdel Fattah Saeed Hussein Khalil El-Sisi (born 19 November 1954) is an Egyptian politician and retired military officer who has been serving as the sixth and current president of Egypt since 2014. After the 2011 Egyptian revolution and 201 ...

2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt

Turkish media in 2017 accused UAE of supporting the

2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt In the evening of 15 July 2016, a faction within the Turkish Armed Forces, organized as the Peace at Home Council, attempted a coup d'état against state institutions, including the government and president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. They attempted ...

, with a Turkish columnist claiming that UAE financially supported the coup plotters. Turkish media also alleged that a series of leaked emails in June 2017 by Emirati ambassador to United States

Yousef Al Otaiba Yousef Al Otaiba () is the current United Arab Emirates ambassador to the United States and Minister of state. Previously Al Otaiba served as non-resident ambassador to Mexico. His father is Petroleum magnate Mana Al Otaiba, who served as the pre ...

correspondence with

Foundation for Defense of Democracies The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) is a Neoconservatism, neoconservative 501(c)(3) organization, 501(c)(3) non-profit think tank based in Washington, D.C., United States. It has also been described as a pro-Israel, anti-Iran lobby gr ...

, a Washington, D.C. based think tank, led credence to the alleged support.

Qatar diplomatic crisis and detoriation of ties (2017-2021)

The UAE has been critical of Turkey's backing of Qatar during the 2017–18 Qatar diplomatic crisis. In May 2017, the UAE's Ambassador to the United States,

described Turkey under Erdoğan as a "long-term threat" to both the UAE and the United States. In December 2017, the UAE's foreign minister, Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, shared a tweet that claimed an Ottoman general had robbed

Medina Medina, officially al-Madinah al-Munawwarah (, ), also known as Taybah () and known in pre-Islamic times as Yathrib (), is the capital of Medina Province (Saudi Arabia), Medina Province in the Hejaz region of western Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ...

during Ottoman rule. Turkish President

Recep Tayyip Erdogan Recep is a Turkish name deriving from the Arabic name Rajab. It may refer to: People Surname * Aziz Recep (born 1992), German-Greek footballer * Sibel Recep (born 1987), Swedish pop singer Given name * Recep Adanır (1929–2017), Turkish fo ...

responded by describing him as an "impertinent man" who was "spoiled by oil". Emirati diplomat Anwar Gargash responded, "The sectarian and partisan view is not an acceptable alternative, and the Arab world will not be led by Tehran or Ankara."

Syrian Civil War

In August 2017, the UAE accused Turkey of "colonial and competitive behavior" by "trying to reduce the sovereignty of the Syrian state" through its military presence in Syria. The UAE has provided support for the Kurdish-dominated

Syrian Democratic Forces The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is a Kurds in Syria, Kurdish-led coalition of U.S.-backed Left-wing politics, left-wing ethnic militias and rebel groups, and serves as the official military wing of the Democratic Autonomous Administration ...

, which fought against Turkish troops in northern Syria. Turkey has accused the UAE of also supporting the

Kurdistan Workers' Party The Kurdistan Workers' Party, or the PKK, isDespite the PKK's 12th Congress announcing plans for total organisational dissolution, the PKK has not yet been dissolved de facto or de jure. a Kurds, Kurdish militant political organization and armed ...

in its conflict with the Turkish government. In March 2018, Gargash stated that relations between the countries "aren’t in their best state" and called on Turkey to "respect Arab sovereignty and deal with its neighbors with wisdom and rationality". In May 2018, Gargash called for Arab countries to unite against rising Turkish and Iranian influence in the Middle East.

Yemeni Civil War

In May 2018, Turkey expressed concern towards the deployment of Emirati troops in

Socotra Socotra, locally known as Saqatri, is a Yemeni island in the Indian Ocean. Situated between the Guardafui Channel and the Arabian Sea, it lies near major shipping routes. Socotra is the largest of the six islands in the Socotra archipelago as ...

without the Yemeni government being informed beforehand, claiming it presents "a new threat to the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Yemen".

Armenian genocide recognition

In 2019, the United Arab Emirates' leadership announced it would begin the formal process to recognize the

Armenian genocide The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was implemented primarily t ...

Emirate of Abu Dhabi The Emirate of Abu Dhabi is one of seven Emirates of the United Arab Emirates, emirates that constitute the United Arab Emirates. It is the largest emirate, accounting for 87% of the nation's total land area or . Abu Dhabi also has the second ...

had become the first emirate to recognize the genocide in April 2019.

2020 Abraham Accords

Turkey condemned the establishment of diplomatic relations between Israel and UAE in 2020. The Turkish government threatened to suspend diplomatic relations and recall its ambassador from

over the establishment of Israel-UAE diplomatic relations.

Reconciliation and cooperation since 2021

Turkey and the UAE reconciliation efforts started to make progress in 2021 with the visit of UAE Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed to Turkey. Erdogan visited Abu Dhabi in 2022 to meet UAE Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed and signing currency swap and trade agreements between the two countries as well as talks of cooperation in the defense industry. Erdogan's visit was welcomed in a big ceremony to show a shift in the relations in a positive direction. Turkey agreed to sell Bayraktar drones to the UAE as part of restoring relations and increasing cooperation between the nations. Turkish drones proved to be superior in quality to their Chinese counterparts and easier to acquire than American drones. Additionally, the common mistrust of the Biden administration between both countries enabled deeper cooperation over America's decision to not deliver F-35s to Turkey and the UAE, while approving F-35s to Israel and other Western countries. During the

2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes On 6 February 2023, at 04:17 Time in Turkey, TRT (01:17 Coordinated Universal Time, UTC), a 7.8 earthquake struck southern and central Turkey and northern and western Ba'athist Syria, Syria. The epicenter was west–northwest ...

, amongst the

Gulf Cooperation Council The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (), also known as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC; ), is a Regional integration, regional, intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental, political, and economic union comprising Ba ...

members, UAE assisted Turkey the most in earthquake relief aid efforts, allocating $114.6 million for earthquake relief efforts in Syria and Turkey. The significant role of the Emirates during the earthquakes has played a role on improvement of relations between the two nations. Turkey and the UAE were the targets of the US sanctions due to their ties with Russia. Both Turkey and the UAE remains key destinations for many Russians since the start of the

Russo-Ukrainian War The Russo-Ukrainian War began in February 2014 and is ongoing. Following Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity, Russia Russian occupation of Crimea, occupied and Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, annexed Crimea from Ukraine. It then ...

and both countries have good relations with Russia against American sanctions. The UAE, Turkey, Iraq, and Qatar have agreed to invest on the Iraq Development Road project. The project is expected to significantly boost Iraq's economy while increasing cooperation between the Gulf nations and Turkey; it will also challenge the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor, highlighting the UAE's ambitions to diversify its economic and geopolitical interests.

Resident diplomatic missions

* Turkey has an embassy in

and a consulate-general in

Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...

. * United Arab Emirates has an embassy in

Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...