UAE and Türkiye Deepen Strategic Economic Partnership Under CEPA
Istanbul, The Gulf Observer: The United Arab Emirates and the Republic of Türkiye are continuing to strengthen their strategic economic partnership by expanding trade and investment cooperation under the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which came into effect on 1 September 2023 and has significantly boosted bilateral economic ties.
The agreement has played a key role in accelerating trade flows and investment between the two countries, enabling both sides to surpass initial expectations for non-oil trade growth and deepen engagement between their business communities.
In this context, UAE Minister of Foreign Trade Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi visited Istanbul, where he held meetings with senior Turkish officials and addressed business leaders from both countries at the UAE–Türkiye Business Forum. He also participated in the third annual meeting of the UAE–Türkiye Business Council following its restructuring.
During the visit, Dr. Al Zeyoudi met with Türkiye’s Deputy Minister of Trade Mustafa Tuzcu to discuss ways to maximize the benefits of CEPA, expand trade cooperation, and identify new investment opportunities across priority sectors.
According to official figures, UAE non-oil foreign trade with Türkiye reached US$45.2 billion in 2025, reflecting a 15.5 percent year-on-year increase compared to 2024. Officials noted that trade volumes have nearly tripled compared to 2022, before the agreement entered into force.
Addressing the UAE–Türkiye Business Forum, Dr. Al Zeyoudi emphasized that the partnership between the two countries is built on mutual respect and shared economic ambitions. He highlighted that CEPA has been instrumental in strengthening bilateral trade, investment flows, and private-sector collaboration.
He said the agreement has opened new avenues for cooperation and enabled both countries to build sustainable economic partnerships that serve long-term development goals. He further noted that continued engagement between business communities will help unlock additional opportunities in key sectors.
In remarks at the third annual meeting of the UAE–Türkiye Business Council, Dr. Al Zeyoudi described the council as a symbol of the growing success of the strategic partnership, reflecting concrete progress through trade figures, investment data, and joint initiatives across multiple industries.
He reaffirmed the UAE’s commitment to further expanding the scope of economic cooperation with Türkiye and ensuring that the next phase of the partnership is more ambitious and innovation-driven.
The UAE delegation included representatives from various sectors such as logistics, energy and renewables, technology and artificial intelligence, agriculture and food security, financial services, aviation, and healthcare.
The forum also witnessed the signing of two memoranda of understanding aimed at enhancing cooperation between business communities and strengthening bilateral investment linkages.
Officials from both sides reiterated that CEPA remains a cornerstone of the UAE’s broader strategy to enhance global trade partnerships, improve supply chain resilience, and create new opportunities for the private sector, while further deepening economic ties with Türkiye.
