ANKARA

In a phone call, Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his United Arab Emirates (UAE) counterpart Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan discussed bilateral relations, the Turkish Communications Directorate said on Thursday.

The two leaders also addressed regional developments during the call, the directorate said in a statement, adding that Erdogan "extended his gratitude for the solidarity and support the UAE had displayed in the aftermath of the earthquakes in Türkiye."

The 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude earthquakes struck 11 Turkish provinces — Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Elazig, Hatay, Gaziantep, Kahramanmaras, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa, claiming more than 50,000 lives.

Over 13.5 million people in Türkiye have been affected by the quakes, as well as many others in northern Syria.

"The two leaders exchanged Ramadan greetings as well," added the statement.

Ramadan is the ninth month on the Islamic calendar, observed by Muslims worldwide as a holy month of fasting.