A sensational news report appeared in the Turkish press last week. The journal Gercek Hayat claimed that the United Arab Emirates' administration was involved in a secret, multinational operation to topple Turkey's government and even promote a military coup. The report from a sister publication of impassioned Turkish administration supporter Yeni Safak media group — which specializes in sensational and usually unsubstantiated reports — didn’t have much of an impact on Turkish public opinion.
Most Turks believe that the Gulf countries are dedicated supporters of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. According to data from the Stock Market Council of Turkey, before every election in Turkey, Gulf emirates send billions of dollars to Turkish financial markets, contributing significantly to sustaining Erdogan’s economic success. The Gulf states invest extensively in the real estate and media sectors, to which Erdogan pays particular attention.
On Dec. 1, Abu Dhabi shocked Ankara when UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan denounced Turkey’s downing Oct. 24 of a Russian plane. He later retracted his statement.
Though the Yeni Safak report was not widely acknowledged, it did give some credence to opinions that relations between Ankara and Abu Dhabi are not as good as people may think.
AL-MONITOR All-Access gives you unlimited access to all our journalism, the full Daily Briefing, exclusive interviews, premium newsletters, and live events — for less than $2/week.
