Turkish President receives Emirati delegation led by Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed

Ankara - An array of regional issues of common interest were discussed during the meeting.

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday received an Emirati delegation led by Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the National Security Adviser.

During the meeting, which took place in Ankara, the two sides discussed the prospects of consolidating ties between the UAE and the Republic of Turkey, especially in areas of economic and trade cooperation, and accelerating investment opportunities in the fields of transportation, health and energy, on the basis of promoting their common interests.

Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE President, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, described the meeting as "historic and positive".

"The UAE continues to build bridges...", he tweeted. "Prioritising prosperity and development drives both our domestic and foreign policy."

In a televised interview, Erdogan said the two countries have made progress in improving relations, which could lead to significant UAE investment in Turkey.

"We discussed what type of investment could be made in which areas," Erdogan said.

With inputs from WAM and Reuters

• Abu Dhabi