President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his accompanying delegation, including Investment Office President A. Burak Dağlıoğlu, paid an official visit to the Gulf region, focusing on bilateral relations, global and regional issues, and potential areas of cooperation, particularly in the fields of economy and investment.
President Erdoğan's Gulf tour started with Saudi Arabia on July 17, marking his first destination in the Gulf region. President Erdoğan received a warm welcome from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the Al-Salam Palace, where an official ceremony took place prior to their scheduled bilateral meeting. Following discussions between the two countries' delegations, President Erdoğan and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attended a significant signing ceremony, sealing various agreements.
Investment Office President A. Burak Dağlıoğlu signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on promoting direct investment cooperation with Saudi Arabia's Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih, aiming to strengthen direct investment collaboration between the two nations.
MoUs were also signed between the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye's Directorate of Communications and Saudi Arabia's Media Ministry, as well as between Türkiye's Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources and Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Energy.
Moreover, a comprehensive implementation plan on cooperation was signed between the Turkish Ministry of National Defense and its Saudi Arabian counterpart.
On the second leg of the Gulf tour, President Erdoğan arrived in Doha on July 18 and was welcomed by Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani of Qatar with an official ceremony.
The two leaders held one-on-one talks, followed by inter-delegation meetings, where all aspects of bilateral relations were reviewed and steps to deepen cooperation in various areas, particularly the economy, were discussed.
The two countries issued a joint statement on the occasion of 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations to foster economic and trade relations that serve the interests of the two brotherly nations.
President Erdoğan arrived at the United Arab Emirates as the final leg of his Gulf tour on July 19.
Following the welcoming ceremony, the two leaders proceeded to the meeting between the delegations. During the meeting, Türkiye and the United Arab Emirates signed 13 agreements worth over USD 50.7 billion in various fields such as energy, transportation, infrastructure, logistics, e-commerce, finance, healthcare, agrofood, tourism, real estate, construction, defense, AI, and advanced technologies, including an MoU between Investment Office and Abu Dhabi Investment Office on promoting direct investment cooperation.
Relations between Türkiye and the United Arab Emirates have been elevated to a strategic partnership level with the agreement for the establishment of a "High-Level Strategic Council" to be chaired by presidents of both countries.
President Erdoğan expressed his delight at revisiting Abu Dhabi and thanked his Emirati counterpart for the hospitality he and his delegation received in the country.
"We aim to improve the legal framework in areas such as investment promotion, security, renewable energy, and transportation," President Erdoğan said.