Turkish President Erdogan returns to UAE nine years after visit for Sharjah's IGCF

President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan has arrived in Abu Dhabi onboard a Presidential flight for a two-day state visit to the UAE.

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, received Erdogan and his accompanying delegation upon his arrival at the Presidential Airport in Abu Dhabi on Monday, February 14.

Before this trip to Abu Dhabi, Erdogan visited Sharjah during the second edition of the Government Communication Forum in 2013 at the invitation of Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah. He was serving Turkey as its Prime Minister at the time.

At the opening ceremony, Erdogan had said: “We live in a world where communication technology has shrunk the planet into a global village, and yet the world is more divided than ever before. Evidently, technology is only the means, not the end solution to the global challenges we face today.”

“We should remember that at the heart of every effective communication are words that are sincere and truthful which originate from the heart of its speakers and reach the hearts of its listeners,” he added.

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“When matched by strategic and courageous action, such speech can be a great force that checks instances of injustice and violence, the like of which we see in Syria, Palestine, Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq,” said Erdogan.

Emphasising the importance of improving the methods of communication between governments and their people especially in light of the major changes taking place in the world in general and the Arab region in particular, Erdogan said: “Communications must encourage the government and the people to get closer, to understand each other and work together.”

• Abu Dhabi
• Sharjah