President Sheikh Mohamed and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan hold talks in Abu Dhabi. Photo: Wam
President Sheikh Mohamed and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan hold talks in Abu Dhabi. Photo: Wam
President Sheikh Mohamed and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan hold talks in Abu Dhabi. Photo: Wam
President Sheikh Mohamed and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan hold talks in Abu Dhabi. Photo: Wam

President Sheikh Mohamed and Turkey's Foreign Minister call for Gaza ceasefire


  • English
  • Arabic

Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza

President Sheikh Mohamed and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stressed the need for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip during talks in Abu Dhabi.

They urged the international community to take decisive action to deliver a "just, comprehensive and lasting peace" in the besieged enclave and to address the worsening humanitarian crisis, state news agency Wam reported.

They also emphasised the importance of pursuing a two-state solution to the crisis during the meeting on Thursday at Qasr Al Shati.

The death toll from the conflict in Gaza stands has passed 34,900, with more than 78,500 injured, the enclave's health authorities said. The war began after Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on October 7 that killed about 1,200.

Sheikh Mohamed and Mr Fidan also explored ways to further bolster ties between their countries. The UAE and Turkey signed a comprehensive economic partnership agreement in March last year in an effort to strengthen trade links.

Mr Fidan conveyed the sympathies of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Sheikh Mohamed after the death of Sheikh Hazza bin Sultan bin Zayed on Thursday.

The meeting at Qasr Al Shati was attended by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court; Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohamed; Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad, Adviser for Special Affairs at the Ministry of Presidential Court, and Ali Al Shamsi, Secretary General of the Supreme Council for National Security.

Growing ties

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs, at a working dinner with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. Photo: Wam
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs, at a working dinner with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. Photo: Wam

Mr Fidan also held talks on Thursday with Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs, during a working dinner in the UAE capital.

They emphasised the importance of securing a ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza war and limiting the suffering of the Palestinian people.

The robust economic ties between the countries was also high on the agenda. Sheikh Abdullah hailed the steady growth in the volume of non-oil trade between the nations, which increased by 103.7 per cent in 2023.

Turkey's share in the UAE's total foreign trade rose to 5.1 per cent last year, making it the fasting growing among the Emirates' top 10 trading partners.

“This significant development in non-oil trade exchange is the result of the comprehensive economic partnership agreement signed by the two countries on March 3, 2023, which entered into force on September 1 of the same year,” Sheikh Abdullah said.

COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Alaan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202021%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Parthi%20Duraisamy%20and%20Karun%20Kurien%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%247%20million%20raised%20in%20total%20%E2%80%94%20%242.5%20million%20in%20a%20seed%20round%20and%20%244.5%20million%20in%20a%20pre-series%20A%20round%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Getting there

The flights

Emirates and Etihad fly to Johannesburg or Cape Town daily. Flights cost from about Dh3,325, with a flying time of 8hours and 15 minutes. From there, fly South African Airlines or Air Namibia to Namibia’s Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport, for about Dh850. Flying time is 2 hours.

The stay

Wilderness Little Kulala offers stays from £460 (Dh2,135) per person, per night. It is one of seven Wilderness Safari lodges in Namibia; www.wilderness-safaris.com.

Skeleton Coast Safaris’ four-day adventure involves joining a very small group in a private plane, flying to some of the remotest areas in the world, with each night spent at a different camp. It costs from US$8,335.30 (Dh30,611); www.skeletoncoastsafaris.com

Infiniti QX80 specs

Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6

Power: 450hp

Torque: 700Nm

Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000

Available: Now

The biog

Family: He is the youngest of five brothers, of whom two are dentists. 

Celebrities he worked on: Fabio Canavaro, Lojain Omran, RedOne, Saber Al Rabai.

Where he works: Liberty Dental Clinic 

SHALASH%20THE%20IRAQI
%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20Shalash%3Cbr%3ETranslator%3A%20Luke%20Leafgren%3Cbr%3EPages%3A%20352%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20And%20Other%20Stories%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Updated: May 10, 2024, 5:23 AM`