logo
UAE, Turkish Presidents witness exchange of agreements and MoUs

UAE, Turkish Presidents witness exchange of agreements and MoUs

Sharjah 2416-07-2025
Exchanged during His Highness the UAE President's state visit to Türkiye, the agreements aim to expand cooperation, reflecting the two countries' shared commitment to further advancing bilateral relations across various sectors.
The agreements and memoranda include:
Agreement on the mutual protection of classified information:
MoU on the establishment of a joint consular committee
MoU on investment in food and agriculture
MoU on investment cooperation in the pharmaceutical industry
MoU on investment in tourism and hospitality
MoU on investment cooperation in the industrial sector
MoU on cooperation in polar research
The agreements and memoranda were exchanged during a formal ceremony held at the Presidential Palace in Ankara.
From the UAE side, the agreements were exchanged by:
Dr Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology
Mohamed Hassan Alsuwaidi, Minister of Investment
Mohamed Mubarak Al Mazrouei, Minister of State for Defence Affairs
Khalifa Shaheen Al Marar, Minister of State
From the Turkish side, the agreements were exchanged by:
Yaşar Güler, Minister of National Defence
Nuh Yılmaz, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs
Ahmet Burak Dağlıoğlu, President of the Investment Office of the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye
Mehmet Fatih Kacır, Minister of Industry and Technology
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Zayed Sustainability Prize sees surge in global participation
Zayed Sustainability Prize sees surge in global participation

Gulf Today

time4 hours ago

  • Gulf Today

Zayed Sustainability Prize sees surge in global participation

The UAE's Zayed Sustainability Prize, a pioneering global award that has transformed the lives of over 400 million people, has officially closed submissions for its 2026 awards cycle. A total of 7,761 entries from 173 countries were received across the six categories of Health, Food, Energy, Water, Climate Action and Global High Schools, reflecting the Prize's continued role in advancing impactful solutions to pressing global challenges. Now in its 17th year, the Prize empowers small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), nonprofit organisations and high schools to develop and scale sustainable innovations that improve lives, especially in vulnerable and underserved communities. From clean energy and healthcare access to regenerative agriculture and safe drinking water, this year's submissions reflect a rising focus on technology-powered, community-led models that expand access where it's needed most. Submissions increased by 30% compared to the previous cycle. There was a marked rise in projects that integrate cutting-edge technologies, such as artificial intelligence, direct air carbon capture, and fintech tools, with grassroots approaches, highlighting how innovation, equity, and long-term impact are converging in meaningful ways. Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Director-General of the Zayed Sustainability Prize, said, 'The record number of submissions to this year's Prize cycle reflects a growing global commitment to practical, scalable solutions that deliver long-term impact. 'We saw particularly strong momentum in food systems, where smart technologies are helping boost productivity and resilience. Across all categories, the increased use of AI and other advanced technologies highlights how innovation is being harnessed to drive inclusive, community-led progress. The Zayed Sustainability Prize remains focused on recognising pioneers who deliver measurable impact and advance sustainable development worldwide.' Early analysis shows that around 85% of all submissions came from the developing and emerging economies, with top contributions from India, Ethiopia, Uzbekistan, Brazil, and Indonesia. Participation was also high from developed countries like the United Arab Emirates and the United States of America, both making it into the top 10 submission countries. The Food (1,630) and Climate Action (1,880) categories attracted the highest number of entries, reflecting the global urgency around food security, ecosystem protection, and disaster resilience. These were followed by Health (1,497), Global High Schools (1,070), Water (863) and Energy (821). Submissions to the Health category grew by over 60% this year, with entries focusing on AI-enabled diagnostics, wearable tech, and decentralised care. Many also explored tech-enabled sustainable logistics and improved traceability to strengthen healthcare delivery systems. The food category highlighted advances in precision agriculture and agri-robotics, with smart systems and drones helping farmers boost yields as well as circularity in food systems. In Energy, submissions revealed a growing interest in thermal energy storage and advanced low-carbon fuels, and broader energy transformation, including solutions for future-proofing energy systems to meet the growing global demand scenarios. Entries in the water category explored innovative ways to expand freshwater access, including atmospheric water generation and low-energy desalination, as well as fintech tools that promote more transparent and equitable distribution. Climate action entries addressed both mitigation and adaptation, featuring nature-based solutions, direct air carbon capture, predictive tools for resilience and disaster preparedness, and community-based conservation grounded in Indigenous knowledge. Youth-led submissions in Global High Schools reflected a remarkable surge in youth engagement and commitment to sustainability, with projects ranging from AI-powered climate monitoring and smart irrigation for school farms to low-cost water filtration and tech-based approaches to waste tracking and upcycling. WAM

EU courts Turkey as it overlooks Imamoglu's arrest
EU courts Turkey as it overlooks Imamoglu's arrest

Middle East Eye

time8 hours ago

  • Middle East Eye

EU courts Turkey as it overlooks Imamoglu's arrest

When Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was detained in February on charges of corruption, European officials were stunned. Imamoglu, widely regarded as the most important contender against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, had faced legal challenges before. But few expected his dramatic detention in a dawn raid and his treatment as little more than a common criminal. At the same time, another court case was launched against the leadership of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) to remove them from office, again on charges of bribery. 'These steps risk setting Turkey-EU relations back by a decade,' a senior EU official fumed earlier this year. Five months forward, Ankara's relationship with Brussels couldn't be better. The EU last year decided to deepen its dialogue with Turkey, and many questioned whether the hard-found momentum, after years of frozen EU membership negotiations, would last amid an increasing crackdown on the opposition. In the weeks after the Imamoglu incident, EU officials met Turkish Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek as part of the Turkey-EU High-Level Economic Dialogue meeting in Brussels. In May, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attended an informal meeting of the EU foreign ministers, known as Gymnich. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters The meetings continued uninterrupted as Turkish courts arrested more popularly elected mayors aligned with the CHP. 'Waiting for an EU's reaction similar to Georgia's one,' Nacho Sanchez Amor, a Turkey rapporteur at the European Parliament, posted on 5 July, when three mayors were arrested. 'A new test for a coherent foreign policy or an invitation to exhibit our traditional 'double standards'?' That reaction didn't come. In July, Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bolat met his counterparts as the two sides held the Turkey-EU High-Level Trade Dialogue meeting. The next day, Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya met his European counterpart as they held the Turkey-EU High-Level Migration and Security Dialogue meeting. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Presidential Palace in Ankara (Turkish Presidency/AFP) And finally, on Monday, the EU commissioner for enlargement, Marta Kos, met Fidan in Istanbul, releasing a joint statement that underlined areas of collaboration, from EU's projects linking Europe to Central Asia to visa liberalisation, an update to the customs union and Ukraine's reconstruction. 'Commissioner Kos also emphasized that dialogue on rule of law and democratic standards is an integral part of our relationship and a commitment by Turkiye as a candidate country,' the joint statement said. Kos and Fidan didn't hold a news conference, a sign that neither side wanted to get antagonistic questions from media on Imamoglu's case, among other issues. 'The EU doesn't want to rock the ship,' a western diplomat told Middle East Eye. 'The EU needs Turkey on Ukraine, on the defence industry overhaul and for the stability in the region as Syria recovers from the civil war.' The diplomat added that other concerns around human rights issues in Turkey are taking the back seat as the world enters a new era of conflicts and risks with Donald Trump's presidency in the US. EU with few options Turkey has emerged as a global arms producer following a series of western sanctions that have restricted Ankara's access to military equipment since 2016. Over the past two decades, the country has invested billions of dollars in its domestic defence industry. Last year, Turkish firms exported $7.2bn worth of defence products to global markets, as Ankara now produces its own fighter jets, tanks, artillery, armoured vehicles and electronic warfare systems. Turkey has been essential in supplying arms to Ukraine and hosting peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow since 2021. Despite Ankara's refusal to join full international sanctions on Russia, Turkey has recently taken two important steps that indicate the direction Erdogan is taking in the war. 'It has become clear once again,' Erdogan said on 11 April, 'that European security is unthinkable without Turkey.' Ankara earlier this month joined the 'international drone coalition' supporting Ukraine by providing armed and unarmed military drones to Kyiv. Turkey is one of the three main drone producers in the world. Turkey also in March joined the Coalition of the Willing to support Ukraine, and in July broadly committed itself to post-war security guarantees for the country. Turkey to follow The Hague Group's measures against Israel 'to stop the genocide' Read More » Ozgur Unluhisarcikli, a regional director at German Marshall Fund, said the EU doesn't have many options to counter Turkey's democratic backsliding other than fully suspending the official membership negotiations, which isn't seen currently as a real option since it would be too difficult to reverse once taken. Unluhisarcikli added that Trump assuming office has weakened the US security commitment to Europe and Europeans are looking for ways to fend for themselves if necessary. 'This encourages both the EU and Turkey to view each other more favorably in terms of security and defence industry cooperation, rather than within the framework of full membership,' Unluhisarcikli told MEE. 'The EU does not want to weaken the option of strategic cooperation by criticizing Turkey based on its domestic political developments.' With this spirit, the EU is looking forward to focusing on joint areas of interest, as alluded to by the joint declaration on Monday, said Samuel Doveri Vesterbye, a managing director at the European Neighbourhood Council. This includes the Middle Corridor, a scheme also known as the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, which links Europe, including Turkey and the Caucasus, to Central Asia. 'Why is this a priority for EU and Turkiye? It's because the Central Asian region presents many opportunities for industry, critical raw materials, renewable energy production, trade and geo-political considerations linked to Turkic, Central Asian nations,' Vesterbye told MEE. 'And regional integration of wider Europe, which today includes countries like Tajikistan, Armenia, Turkiye, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and many others.' A second western diplomat said the EU was focusing on the practical deliverables to improve EU-Turkey relations and keep Ankara on track while trying not to antagonise it - basically offering carrots rather than sticks to make progress on bilateral issues. An 'opportunity' for Turkey Marc Pierini, senior fellow at Carnegie Europe and former EU ambassador to Turkey, however, has a differing opinion, saying that the EU government and its bodies all have expressed their dismay at the constant degradation of rule of law in Turkey. 'Given the worsened geopolitical situation in the world, an unavoidable evolution takes place: it's called the hierarchy of crises. Big powers tend to prioritise those crises closer to their core interests,' he told MEE. 'Simultaneously, Turkey's leadership is probably seeing this geopolitical situation as an 'opportunity' to further consolidate its autocratic model for domestic and electoral reasons while western partners are otherwise preoccupied.' But Turkey continues to face hurdles: for example in gaining access to the EU arms fund known as SAFE, which has a €170bn budget for European joint defence projects. SAFE mandates that 65 percent of projects are funded by firms in the bloc, the broader European Economic Area or Ukraine, only allowing Turkey to join the project with limited participation. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, however, last week continued to argue that Turkish firms won't be able to participate in the SAFE programme unless Turkey lifts its 1995 declaration of casus belli if Greece decides to increase its territorial waters from six to 12 miles.

DMDC launches property investment arm with Dhs100m commitment
DMDC launches property investment arm with Dhs100m commitment

Gulf Business

time15 hours ago

  • Gulf Business

DMDC launches property investment arm with Dhs100m commitment

Image: Getty images The announcement was made during a private press conference and marks the company's largest strategic investment since its inception. DMDC has allocated Dhs70m to kickstart a portfolio of premium residential projects, with flagship developments already underway in Arabian Ranches, Jumeirah Golf Estates, and Emerald Hills. An additional Dhs30m investment is planned for the second half of 2025, bringing the total capital commitment to Dhs100m for the year. Unlike DMDC's core client-focused services, DMDC Estates is wholly owned and operated by the company, focusing exclusively on acquiring, renovating, and selling luxury properties across Dubai. By operating independently, the new division allows DMDC to apply its full creative and construction expertise without external constraints. The company confirmed it will continue to undertake client projects across interior design and construction, while DMDC Estates will focus solely on its own development ventures. The first completed property under DMDC Estates is already generating buzz. A fully reimagined six-bedroom villa in Arabian Ranches, the project has been elegantly redesigned from the ground up and serves as a model for a series of curated homes currently in progress. 'We are excited to finally share DMDC Estates, a division that has been months in the making,' said Raji Daou, CEO of DMDC. 'The market is constantly evolving, and we are delighted to be part of Dubai's dynamic real estate scene in a brand new way. Through DMDC Estates, we'll be curating exceptional masterpieces that reflect our design philosophy and high standards.' Founded in 2021, DMDC has quickly risen to become a key player in Dubai's design and construction scene. The firm employs more than 700 professionals and delivers integrated solutions across residential, commercial, and retail sectors. By blending innovative design, digital technology, artisanal craftsmanship, and sustainable practices, DMDC has earned a reputation for pushing creative boundaries. The launch of DMDC Estates is a bold step toward expanding that vision — not just shaping interiors, but entire lifestyles, one property at a time.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store