Crown Prince meets Turkish President Abdullah Gul

Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince and a number of top government officials visited Turkey's president in Ankara yesterday.

In a move to strengthen bilateral relations and investments between the countries, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed lead a delegation to meet President Abdullah Gul at his presidential palace in Turkey's capital, said a statement from the Crown Prince's office yesterday.

The leaders discussed how such visits boost relations and serve to benefit their countries and citizens, especially since the Turkish and Emirati economies are both flourishing.

The Turkish president had conduced an official visit to the UAE last month, which served to encourage the cooperation between the two nations.

A lunch banquet was held at the presidential palace in honour of Sheikh Mohammed and his accompanying delegates. They included the Foreign Minister, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed; the state Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Anwar Gargash; and the chairman of the executive affairs authority, Khaldoun Al Mubarak.

The Crown Prince also visited the grave of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the modern Turkish state, and left a bouquet of flowers.

Sheikh Mohammed wrote a statement in the VIP guest book about the UAE's eagerness to develop connections between the two states.

hdajani@thenational.ae