March 12, 2026
Borkena
Toronto – A day after an informal meeting with Djibouti and Somalia presidents over an informal Iftar dinner in the residence of Djibouti’s President, Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed arrived in UAE in the early hours of Thursday.
Noticeably, Abiy is a kind of leader who likes to be in the limelight constantly with a penchant for “making history.: He has become the first foreign leader to arrive in UAE after the US/Israel bombardment of Iran which triggered a missile and drone response from Iran targeting U.S. military bases and other assets in the region.
UAE is one of the gulf countries that are severely impacted by Iranian military response – not to mention the economic impact.
Flights to and from the region were cancelled after the war started 12 days ago. There are reports that flights have partially started now although Iran continues to fire missiles and drones. On Thursday, the country’s Defense Minister claimed that it has intercepted 10 ballistic missiles and 26 drones – presumably fired from Iran.
Abiy Ahmed flew to Abu Dhabi, and was greeted by Abdullah Sultan bin Awad Al Nuaimi, Minister of Justice, and His Excellency Mohamed Abdullah Al Jneibi, Chairman of the Presidential Protocol and Strategic Narrative Authority upon arrival at the Presidential Airport in Abu Dhabi, according to UAE government sources.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia on Thursday said he headed to the UAE for a “working visit.” The picture it shared on its social media page shows the Ethiopian PM Minister was in an Ethiopian Airlines flight. No other information was shared. Other sources reported that the Minister for Finance, Ahmed Shide, Minister for Peace Mohammed Edris, Director for Information and Security, Redwan Hussien, and the ruling party’s deputy president Adem Farah are in the delegation that Abiy led to UAE.
Two days ago, the ministry had what appears to be a busy diplomatic engagement with seven diplomats from the gulf region. One of them was the Charge d’affars of the United Arab Emirates Embassy to Ethiopia. The topic discussed at the Ministry was described as “regional developments and other matters of mutual interest.”
Notably, Abiy Ahmed’s trip to the region also came after a telephone conversation with Marco Rubio, U.S. Secretary of State. They had discussion, as the state department put it, on “regional stability, counterterrorism cooperation, economic prosperity, and building a foundation for long-term security in the Horn of Africa.”
His visit to the UAE seems to confirm where his administration stands in the war in the Middle East. On March 2, 2026 he called Kuwait Crown Prince and condemned the Iranian Missile attack calling it “violation of sovereignty.”
Ethiopia and Iran did have at least working diplomatic relations. When the current Iranian Ambassador started his mission in Ethiopia in 2024, one of the tasks he identified as a priority area was to reactivate a joint ministerial commission. And in May 2025, police forces from the two countries signed a Memorandum of understanding to collaborate. Given UAE’s unprecedented influence on Abiy Ahmed’s government in a number of ways, it may not sound strange that his government is standing with UAE.
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