Turkey has responded to reports that the three people who were detained for spying on defence secrets were working for the United Arab Emirates. According to the Turkish Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç, there is no illegal activity or any suspicious behavior attributed to the UAE or its citizens.
The clarifications came amid reports that the three defence executives were using a fake SIM card to gather personal information of top defence executives. A statement released by the Turkish prosecutor early this week said the suspects were connected to the Emirates. "It has been determined that the suspects created fake profiles by obtaining a phone number from a GSM operator in Turkiye and made calls upon the instructions of UAE intelligence officers,” the statement said, adding that this line was taken to the UAE and given to intelligence officers.
The targets of the espionage activity included personnel in managerial positions at critically-important defence industry organisations operating in Turkiye, a phone used by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and officials from several foreign countries.
However, soon after, a revised text was published, which did not include details such as "United Arab Emirates," "political or military espionage," and "smuggling a GSM line abroad." The Turkish officials also reportedly began contacting several media outlets to request the removal of related reports, claiming they contained false information.
Tunç also reiterated that there has been no connection to a United Arab Emirates citizen among the suspects. “No connection to this country has been identified," he reiterated.
Turkey’s retraction of the statement has triggered speculations that Ankara didn’t want to worsen its relations with Abu Dhabi. The countries had a rocky relationship for a long time, until they repaired their ties in 2021. The countries had internal disagreements over issues, including gas exploration in the eastern Mediterranean. The countries have also been at loggerheads in regional conflicts, such as in Libya and Syria. However, they maintained relations, thanks to a free trade agreement and an investment deal, as well as frequent visits by senior officials. Turkey also maintain that their relationship with the Emiratis is cordial.
As for the UAE, it announced that the Attorney-General held a telephone conversation with his Turkish counterpart, soon after Ankara officially refuted allegations circulating in some media outlets concerning the detection of unlawful espionage activity in Istanbul and the attribution of such claims to the UAE.
