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Turkey and Ethiopia signed two major economic agreements as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Addis Ababa for the first time in 11 years, with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed saying the talks aimed to relaunch economic and security cooperation against a backdrop of strong tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea.
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The visit came during a regional tour that also took the Turkish president to Saudi Arabia and Egypt. In Ethiopia, the trip marked the 100th anniversary of the establishment of official diplomatic relations between Ankara and Addis Ababa.
Erdogan was welcomed on Tuesday with cavalry, a brass band, a military parade and a reception at the newly renovated National Palace, the former imperial residence of Haile Selassie, Ethiopia’s last emperor.
The ceremony underlined the importance Ethiopia places on the visit, the first by the Turkish president in more than a decade.
Abiy said the two leaders held in-depth discussions to relaunch economic and security cooperation between their countries, as tensions remain high between Ethiopia and Eritrea.
Writing on his X account, Abiy described the relationship as “lasting friendship” and “solid cooperation”.
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Energy push
The two leaders signed two major economic agreements, particularly in the energy sector.
“Turkey is trying to position itself as a strategic partner for Ethiopia, particularly in hydroelectric energy, where Ankara emphasises its expertise and know-how,” Federico Donelli, professor of international relations at the University of Trieste, told RFI.
The opportunity is greater because Ethiopia wants to develop the sector beyond the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, he added.
With nearly two and a half billion dollars invested in Ethiopia in 2025, Turkey is the second-largest foreign investor in the country after China.
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Drones question
The visit took place as tensions are rising again between Ethiopia and Eritrea, raising questions about the security side of cooperation.
During the 2021 war in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia, which pitted federal forces against Tigrayan fighters, the Ethiopian government acquired Turkish drones.
“Since the war in Tigray, the Turkish government has been providing manpower as well as drone accessories to the Ethiopian government,” independent researcher Esayas Bamlack Bishaw, a specialist in Turkish-Ethiopian relations, said.
Ethiopia is facing a conflict in Oromia, another in the Amhara region and a separate, latent one with Tigrayan forces.
“It is clear that the Ethiopian government is trying to obtain weapons from Turkey,” Bishaw added.
According to Erdogan, countries in the region should resolve their problems among themselves so they do not become “an arena for foreign powers”.
The Turkish president also criticised Israel’s recognition of Somaliland in December, saying the move “would benefit neither Somaliland nor the Horn of Africa”.
His remarks came as Ethiopia maintains close relations with the breakaway Somali region.
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