Turkey-Gulf relations

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomes UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed with official ceremony during the latter’s official visit to Ankara, July 16, 2025.

Analysis

UAE leader visits Turkey, emphasizing shift from rivalry to regional alignment

The presidents of Turkey and the UAE discussed ways to deepen cooperation on trade, defense and regional diplomacy as both nations navigate new opportunities amid shifting balances in the Middle East.

Ezgi Akin

By Ezgi Akin , Rosaleen Carroll

ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

UAE’s Mohammed bin Zayed heads to Turkey amid heightened regional diplomacy

The UAE president’s visit to Turkey comes as Turkish and Emirati involvement intensifies in regional diplomatic efforts, spanning conflicts from Syria-Israel talks to the South Caucasus.

United Arab Emirates

Turkey's minister of foreign affairs, Hakan Fidan, delivers a speech during the opening ceremony of Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Antalya, on April 11, 2025.

Turkey's Fidan visits UAE for talks on Syria, Gaza: What to know

The top Turkish diplomat’s visit to the UAE comes amid heightened tensions between Turkey and Israel over Syria.

Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler (L) is pictured with Saud Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in in Saudi Arabia on March 12, 2025.

Turkey’s defense chief deepens military ties, Syria cooperation in Riyadh

The Turkish defense chief’s visit to Jeddah comes ahead of an expected visit by the president.

Latest News

Analysis

Pro-Israel, Turkey-friendly in Syria: How Merz's win in Germany affects Middle East

BERLIN, GERMANY - FEBRUARY 24: Friedrich Merz, chancellor candidate of Germany’s Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU), arrives to a press conference sthe day after German parliamentary elections on February 24, 2025 in Berlin, Germany. The CDU/CSU won with 28.5% and will seek to form a government coalition. (Photo by Maja Hitij/Getty Images)

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Defense ties, Syria top Turkey's Fidan visit to Saudi Arabia

Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan gives a joint press conference with his Iraqi counterpart after their meeting in Baghdad on Jan. 26, 2025.

Syria's top diplomat set to pay first visit to Turkey on Wednesday: What we know

DAMASCUS, SYRIA - DECEMBER 30: Syria's newly appointed Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani during a press conference after a meeting between the Syrian leadership and a Ukrainian delegation to help strengthen ties between the two countries on December 30, 2024 in Damascus, Syria. Syria is transitioning after the fall of the Baath regime and the Assad family's rule, with a temporary administration now in place in Damascus and Aleppo. (Photo by Ali Haj Suleiman/Getty Images)

Qatar's emir visits Turkey amid push for de-escalation, Gaza talks

Erdogan and Thani

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a press conference on the sidelines of the NATO 75th anniversary summit at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC, July 11, 2024.

Israel’s FM tells NATO to expel Turkey as Erdogan threatens war over Gaza

As Turkey threatens military intervention in Gaza and Israel pushes for Turkey's removal from NATO, questions of how Turkey and Israel's already strained relations will be affected arise.

This combination of file photographs created on July 7, 2024, shows Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) in Ankara on May 29, 2023, and Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on July 16, 2023.

Analysis

As Erdogan woos Assad, is Turkey-Syria reconciliation rhetoric or reality?

While the Turkish president has signaled he’s open to mending fences with his Syrian counterpart, the path to reconciliation is full of pitfalls.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

RYAN LIM/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

What's next for Turkey-UAE ties as economic cooperation hits record high?

The fast-improving ties between the United Arab Emirates and Turkey will reach new heights and create employment opportunities in both countries, industry experts and Turkish officials believe.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) speaks with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Indian President Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G-7 summit, June 14, 2024, Apulia, Italy.

Turkey’s Erdogan, UAE president discuss Gaza during G7

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also briefly chatted with US President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the summit.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hosted Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah in Ankara on May 7. Photo courtesy: The Turkish Presidency

Turkey and Kuwait sign six deals as Erdogan hosts country's Emir

The Kuwaiti emir traveled to Turkey for his first foreign visit to a non-Arab country since he took the oath of office in December.

EVELYN HOCKSTEIN/AFP via Getty Images

Blinken, Fidan meet after Turkey postpones Erdogan's White House visit

The top US and Turkish diplomats met in the Saudi capital today after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s long-sought visit to the White House was postponed Friday.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ( L) stands beside Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud upon his arrival at the Aden Abdulle international airport in Mogadishu on Jan. 25, 2015.

Beyond Ethiopia & Somaliland, Turkey-Somalia defense deal fuels UAE rivalry

The latest deal between Ankara and Mogadishu emerges as a potential friction point for Turkey and the UAE as they vie for influence in Somalia.

Erdogan is met by Sisi in Cairo

Turkey’s Erdogan receives red-carpet reception in Egypt, calls Sisi 'brother'

Libya, the Gaza war and bilateral ties are set to top Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's meeting during the first such visit since 2012.

UAE's President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meet in Dubai on Feb. 13, 2024.

Turkey’s Erdogan in UAE, meets MBZ ahead of landmark Egypt visit

Erdogan’s UAE and historic Egypt trips come as Ankara seeks to strengthen its ties with regional countries amid ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan shakes hands with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi during a meeting in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 17, 2022.

Iran's Raisi makes first visit to Turkey seeking to close gap on Gaza, Zangezur

Apart from economic ties, the Gaza war is expected to be in focus, on which the two sides may share public rhetoric but diverge deeply when it comes to policy and interests.

How Turkey contained Super Cup crisis with Saudi Arabia

A soccer debacle in Riyadh last week over Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of secular Turkey, has become a public debate over the trajectory of secularism in Turkey.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan (L) arrives under the rain to the Turkish Parliament to take oath of office after his election win at the parliament in Ankara, Turkey, on June 3, 2023. Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan was sworn in for a third term as president on June 3, promising to serve "impartially" after winning a historic runoff election to extend his two-decade rule. (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP) (Photo by ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images)

2023 in review: From disaster to diplomacy, a climactic year for Turkey

Ankara and NATO capitals are once again at loggerheads despite Turkey’s restoration vision put forward after the May elections.