With his sheikh Abu DhabiMohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan – colloquially known by his initials as MBZ, – met the Turkish president last night.

The third president of the United Arab Emirates and the ruler of Abu Dhabi was in Turkey for an official visit and was among the first world leaders to congratulate Erdogan for his victory in the recent presidential elections.

The two leaders had dinner in an Istanbul restaurant, from which they came out smiling and holding hands while cameras recorded them.

Abu Dhabi’s sheikh held talks with Turkey’s leadership on the “comprehensive economic partnership that brings the two countries together,” state-run Wam news agency reported.

MBZ is seen as the driving force behind the interventionist foreign policy of the United Arab Emirates and is the leader of a campaign against Islamist movements in the Arab world.