Erdoğan says also plans steps with Egypt, Israel after UAE visit

President Erdoğan has said that Turkey would take steps to improve ties with estranged rivals Egypt and Israel similar to those in recent weeks with the United Arab Emirates.

Tuesday November 30 2021 10:59 am

Reuters

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Turkey would take steps to improve ties with estranged rivals Egypt and Israel similar to those in recent weeks with the United Arab Emirates, which led to investments.

Ankara and Abu Dhabi signed accords for billions of dollars of investments last week and Erdoğan said they would herald a "new era" in ties.

As part of a charm offensive launched last year, Turkey has also moved to repair ties with Egypt and Saudi Arabia but those talks have yielded little public improvement.

Earlier this month, Erdoğan also held a rare phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett after Turkey's release of a detained Israeli couple.

"They [UAE] put up a $10 billion investment plan. By putting this $10 billion into place, we will have built a very different future," Erdoğan told reporters on a flight back from Turkmenistan, adding he would visit the UAE in February.

"Whatever kind of step was taken with the UAE, we will also take similar ones with the others [Israel and Egypt]," he said, in response to a question about ties with Tel Aviv and Cairo.