Addis ababa: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan departed on Tuesday for an official visit to Ethiopia at the invitation of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, President Erdogan is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, followed by expanded meetings at the delegation level. The two leaders will then preside over the signing ceremony of several agreements between their countries. A joint press conference is also expected to be held to outline the outcomes of the visit.

Ethiopia represents a cornerstone of Ankara’s policy toward Africa, given its strategic location in the Horn of Africa – a region where maritime security considerations, trade routes, and regional balances intersect.

Turkish-Ethiopian relations have witnessed steady expansion over the past two decades, in parallel with Turkey’s broader policy of engagement with Africa. The Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, is currently the largest recipient of Turkish investments on the continent, hosting investments exceeding $2.5 billion – nearly half of Turkey’s total direct investments in Africa.

Approximately 200 Turkish companies operate in the Ethiopian market across infrastructure, transport, textiles, agriculture, and furniture sectors, contributing to the creation of tens of thousands of jobs.

According to official Ethiopian data, Ankara ranks as the second-largest foreign investor in the country and is considered among its key trade partners in Africa.

Attention is also focused on Turkey’s potential role in easing tensions between Ethiopia and Egypt over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Although the issue is not officially listed on the visit’s agenda, indirect signals suggest Ankara’s readiness to contribute to managing regional crises. Turkey maintains balanced relations with both Cairo and Addis Ababa, having advanced institutional normalization with Egypt since 2023 while simultaneously deepening its defense and economic cooperation with Ethiopia – positioning itself to keep communication channels open with both sides without aligning with either.