Turkish president claims progress in ties with the UAE

Ankara: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the country has been in contact with the UAE in recent months and the relationship has made progress. He had a meeting with a senior UAE official.

Turkey and the UAE have had a bitter rivalry in the past. Both nations have supported opposite sides of several regional disputes including the conflict in Libya and the blockade of Qatar by other Arab states.

The UAE is supporting Greece's energy claims in disputed Eastern Mediterranean water. The conflict forced Turkey to search for new natural gas deposits last year. President Erdogan has been making efforts to reach out to regional rivals including Egypt in an attempt to end growing diplomatic isolation.

The Turkish president said that UAE National Security Adviser Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan discussed investment in Turkey. If the talks proceed, the UAE will make "serious investments" in Turkey, reported Al Jazeera.

He stated that he is open to meeting with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE's de facto ruler. He added that Turkey has held talks with Abu Dhabi for the past couple of months and he believes there will be some more talks in the coming process.

"We are in favour of the main actors in the region directly negotiating and solving the problems," said the President in the televised interview.