Erdogan Postpones UAE Visit Over Health Concerns Of Host President

President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on Sunday, announced the postponement of his planned visit to United Arab Emirates(UAE) following reports of a health concern involving the Emirati leader, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

In a message shared on X (formerly Twitter) by Erdogan’s team, the Turkish leader disclosed that he had spoken with Al Nahyan by telephone and conveyed his well wishes.

“During the course of the call, President Erdogan expressed his sadness over the health problem experienced by (President) Al Nahyan and wished him a prompt recovery,” the three-paragraph statement read.

The statement further indicated that Erdogan’s visit to Abu Dhabi would be rescheduled to a later date yet to be determined.

However, the post was shortly deleted from the account, although it had already been reported by Turkish state media. Turkey’s state broadcaster subsequently removed its report referencing the Emirati leader’s alleged health issue.

The official Emirati news agency, WAM, confirmed the telephone conversation between the two leaders but made no mention of any health concerns or the postponement of Erdogan’s visit.

Efforts by AFP to obtain clarification from the Turkish presidency and Emirati authorities were unsuccessful as of press time. The Emirati government has not issued any official statement regarding the health of its president.

Meanwhile, on Saturday evening, the Emirati leader’s office released photographs taken the same day showing Al Nahyan — widely known as MBZ — appearing in good health and smiling during a meeting with Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar.

The developments have sparked speculation over the circumstances surrounding the deleted statement, as neither side has provided further details.