On the 53rd anniversary of the start of diplomatic relations between Türkiye and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the UAE organized an investment forum in Istanbul today.
The forum, which was organized with the aim of strengthening cooperation between the two countries in the fields of logistics, transportation infrastructure, supply chains and industrial investments and developing new investment and trade opportunities within the scope of the Middle Corridor, was hosted by the UAE's Ambassador to Ankara, Said Sani al-Zahiri.
Representatives of 11 high-level companies from the UAE and 65 companies from Turkey attended the event, along with Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Investment Office Ali Kamil Özmen.
'TRADE EXCEEDED 45 BILLION DOLLARS'
UAE Ambassador Zahiri, in his opening speech, said, "UAE-Turkey relations, which have a history of more than half a century, are today going through a period of unprecedented momentum, thanks to the prudent visions of the leaders of the two friendly countries; President of the United Arab Emirates H.E. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and President H.E. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Agreements worth 50.7 billion dollars were signed in July 2023 and Comprehensive Economic Cooperation in September of the same year." "The entry into force of the Association Agreement has constituted a real turning point in the course of our partnership. Non-oil trade between the two countries exceeded the target of 40 billion dollars before the anticipated date, reaching 45.2 billion dollars in 2025. This figure corresponds to an increase of 15.5 percent in just one year and approximately three times the 2022 level," he said.
CENTRAL CORRIDOR
Talking about the event they held, Zahiri said, "We have focused on the logistics services and infrastructure sector of this forum. Because this sector is the sector that transforms the economic partnership from numbers in the reports to concrete assets on the field. The Central Corridor, which connects China and Central Asia to Turkey via the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus, and from there to Europe, is no longer an idea that remains on paper. Today, it has become a route that actually works and grows every year. It will be built along this route and will be operated and operated after it is built." "The infrastructure and facilities that will need to be managed constitute one of the largest investment opportunities available to the business worlds of our two countries today. Turkey is the intersection point that brings this corridor together with the European market," he said.
DEVELOPMENT PATH
Referring to the Development Road Project, Zahiri said, "Turkey is also the northern partner of the 'Development Road Project', which extends from the Great Port to the Turkish border and from there to Europe. The United Arab Emirates is one of the parties to the Quadripartite Memorandum of Understanding regarding this project, together with Turkey, Iraq and Qatar. I would like to be particularly clear at this point: We do not see the Middle Corridor and the Development Road as two competing routes or alternatives to each other. Because the two "They are different from each other in terms of their routes, directions and the freight base they serve. This is a complementary intersection in nature. The opportunities that Turkey has and the opportunities that the United Arab Emirates have come together in a concrete and applicable framework. Our aim at the event is to present the opportunities in a concrete and applicable framework: Where are these opportunities? What are the needs and who are the partners that can turn them into projects?" He said his words.
'From CHINA TO EUROPE IN 18 DAYS'
Ali Kamil Özmen, Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Investment Office, said: "Located at the intersection of important corridors, Turkey supports its goal of becoming a center with strong infrastructure investments. In a global environment where some trade routes have become unstable due to regional and international geopolitical developments, the importance of alternative east-west corridors has become even more evident. The Middle Corridor, of which Türkiye is at the center, offers a great time advantage and durability by reducing the transit times from China to Europe to only 18 days. The Middle Corridor is Türkiye's "It is becoming part of a wider regional connection network, supported by infrastructure investments of $7.8 billion and Iraq's $20 billion. This developed route offers an annual capacity of 4.7 billion euros worth of containerized cargo and 55 million tons of bulk cargo," he said. The event then continued with presentations by UAE company representatives and a panel discussion. Then, a "family photo" was taken and bilateral business meetings began.
Türkiye-UAE RELATIONS
Türkiye-UAE relations, which have completed their 53rd year, deteriorated with the Arab Spring that started in 2010. The parties were at opposite poles at many crisis points. So much so that the UAE was held responsible for the July 15 coup attempt. Mohammed Dahlan, the crown prince of the time and advisor to today's UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, was accused of being the financier of the coup; A "red notice" was requested about him in 2020. In 2021, official contacts began between the two countries after Sedat Peker, the leader of the criminal organization, published videos accusing the AKP government from the UAE. While relations normalized, Peker's videos ended. Today, the UAE is the Gulf country that invests the most in Turkey and is Turkey's largest trade partner in the Gulf. According to the Ministry of Commerce data, the trade volume of the two countries exceeded 19 billion dollars in 2025. While import and export amounts remained close to each other, the product group most imported and exported by both countries was jewellery.
