Turkey and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have a complicated diplomatic and economic relationship. While Turkey does have a presence in Dubai and the UAE, politically the two countries have experienced tensions in recent years. However, renewed efforts have been made to improve relations.
Background on Turkey-UAE Relations
Turkey and the UAE share strong economic ties, with Turkey being one of the UAE’s largest trading partners Turkish companies have invested significantly in the UAE, especially in Dubai Culturally, there is a small Turkish expat community living in the UAE.
Politically though, relations have deteriorated in the last decade due to differing stances on regional issues like the Egyptian Crisis Syrian Civil War and Yemeni Civil War. The UAE has aligned more closely with Saudi Arabia, while Turkey has taken an independent path under Erdogan’s leadership.
Recent events have further strained relations including
- The UAE’s support for the 2016 failed coup attempt against Erdogan.
- Turkey’s backing of Qatar during the 2017 GCC crisis.
- The UAE’s normalization of ties with Israel in 2020.
Renewed Efforts to Repair Relations
However, in 2021-2022 there have been efforts to rebuild ties. Important developments include:
- In 2021, UAE Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed visited Turkey, and the countries signed economic and technology agreements.
- In early 2022, Erdogan visited Abu Dhabi, met with the Crown Prince, and signed major trade deals.
- The UAE sent significant humanitarian aid to Turkey after the devastating 2023 earthquakes.
This rapprochement has been driven by economic pragmatism and shared geopolitical interests. Both countries aim to deepen trade and investment links. Also, they have found common ground opposing certain US policies in the region.
The Turkish Presence in Dubai and the UAE
The UAE, especially Dubai, hosts a substantial Turkish presence despite political tensions:
- There are over 400 Turkish companies in the UAE, with 75 in Abu Dhabi alone.
- Turkish construction firms have been involved in many major UAE projects.
- Etihad Airways flies direct to Istanbul.
- Turkey sees the UAE as an important market for real estate investment.
- There are Turkish cultural centers and restaurants catering to the Turkish expat community.
About How Far is it Between
This tool can be used to find the distance between two places.
There are two distances output:
- As the Crow Flies – The direct distance between points
- Distance by land transport (When possible) – Distance estimate when you travel by road and sea.
The distances can be output in the following units:
The output is via a measurement of the distance and also a map that shows that two locations and the path between them as the crow flies and the route by land transport.
You can use the controls on the map to:
- Pan the map
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- Switch between Map and Satellite views
How Far is it Between Istanbul, Turkey and Dubai, Uae
This map shows the distance from Istanbul, Turkey to Dubai, Uae. You can also see the distance in miles and km below the map.
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