Erdoğan to visit UAE, Ethiopia this week

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will embark this week on a two-leg visit to the United Arab Emirates and Ethiopia for high-level talks focused on bilateral relations as well as regional issues. The tour is also expected to feature signing ceremonies for several agreements and documents whose negotiations have been finalized.

Head of Communications at the Turkish Presidency Burhanettin Duran announced that Erdoğan will visit Abu Dhabi on Monday, February 16, 2026, where he is scheduled to meet UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The talks will focus on “steps to further deepen cooperation between Türkiye and the United Arab Emirates,” Duran said, adding that “regional and global developments will also be discussed.”

According to Duran, Erdoğan’s second stop will be Addis Ababa on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, at the invitation of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. Discussions there will center on bilateral relations and issues of mutual interest. Several agreements are expected to be signed during the two visits.

“On the occasion of the visits, various agreements and documents whose negotiations have been completed will also be signed,” Duran said.

Erdoğan’s tour comes at a moment of heightened diplomatic maneuvering across the Middle East and the Horn of Africa, regions that are increasingly shaped by competition among emerging powers. Turkey has significantly expanded its political, economic, and security footprint in recent years, seeking to position itself alongside influential Gulf states such as the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. This growing engagement reflects Ankara’s broader strategic ambition to project influence beyond its immediate neighborhood, secure new trade corridors, and deepen energy and infrastructure partnerships. As geopolitical rivalries intensify, Turkey’s activism signals its intent to be recognized not merely as a peripheral actor, but as a central stakeholder in shaping the future balance of power across these interconnected regions.

Nowhere is this strategy more evident than in Somalia, where Turkey has established its largest overseas military base and undertaken extensive investments across key sectors including infrastructure, education, health, and port development. Ankara’s involvement goes beyond traditional diplomacy, embedding long-term economic and security cooperation into Somalia’s state-building process. Plans to construct a spaceport in the country further illustrate the depth of Turkey’s ambitions and its desire to link technological advancement with geopolitical outreach. Taken together, these initiatives underline Turkey’s pursuit of a durable presence in the Horn of Africa, one that solidifies its role as an emerging power with regional dominance aspirations.