Iraqi Kurdish leader helps ease Turkey-UAE tensions
Iraqi Kurdistan President Nechirvan Barzani helped facilitate a recent phone call between Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and United Arab Emirates (UAE) de facto ruler Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nayhan have spoken on the phone, the clearest sign yet of a thaw between the regional rivals, which was accelerated by the personal intervention of Iraqi Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani, Al-Monitor has learned.
A statement released by the Turkish Presidency on Tuesday said that relations "between the countries and regional issues were discussed in the talks.”
UAE presidential diplomatic adviser Anwar Gargash said on Twitter, "Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's phone call with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed was very positive and friendly."
The UAE’s state news agency, WAM, said the leaders talked about the prospects of reinforcing relations between the two countries “in a way that serves their common interests and their two peoples.”
