On February 14th, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the first time in 20 years. This visit signifies a shift in relations in the Middle East as leadership in the UAE has shifted to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed el-Nahyan.

President Erdogan has been in the Turkish political sphere since the 1970s. Over the past 50 years, Erdogan has created a more religious Turkish government. He began his political journey as a member of the Welfare Party, an Islamic political party. It was with this party that he won the mayoralty position in Istanbul, which he served from 1994 to 1998. In 2003, he created the AKP, a conservative Islamic party. He was elected Prime Minister from 2004 to 2013 and ran for President when he wasn’t able to continue running for Prime Minister.

In his time as President, Erdogan has expanded the role from ceremonial to functional and eliminated some of the restrictions on power. Recent economic issues have resulted in major inflation and a decreasing value of the lira (the Turkish currency). The recent economic downturn has incentivized Erdogan to restore these relations in order to bolster foreign investment.

Erdogan’s recent visit was his first to the UAE in 10 years. It was a follow-up from the Crown Prince’s visit to Ankara, Turkey’s capital, which included a multi-billion dollar investment deal.

During Erdogan’s visit, 13 deals were signed pertaining to trade, defense, climate change, industry, and the economy. The visits indicate a new bilateral relationship between the two countries. This is a shift from the previous relationship, which was considered particularly “tense” after Saudi Arabia and the UAE cut ties with Qatar, a close ally of Turkey, in 2017. Additionally, the UAE and Turkey have historically backed opposing sides in regional conflicts relating to natural resources. However, Erdogan stated that “the visit would aim to shape the next 50 years of friendship and brotherhood with the UAE.”