 | |
 Ethiopia |  Turkey |
|---|---|
| Diplomatic mission | |
| Ethiopian embassy, Ankara | Turkish embassy, Addis Ababa |
Ethiopian–Turkish relations are foreign relations betweenEthiopia andTurkey. Ethiopia has an embassy inAnkara and Turkey has an embassy inAddis Ababa. Turkey and Ethiopia have great relations, but Turkey has been more supportive of Somalia in the conflict.
Relations between theEthiopian andOttoman Empires were long contentious, the most notable expression being theEthiopian–Adal War in the early 16th century, theAdal Sultanate serving as Ottoman proxy. Formal diplomatic relations were established in 1896, and non-resident ambassadors were accredited at this time. Sultan Abdulhamid II sent a delegation headed by his aide-de-camp Azmzade Sadik Al Mouayad Pasha to Emperor Menelik II in 1904. See Azmzade, Sadik, The Ethiopia Book of Travels, 2021 for the translation of Sadik Pasha's diaries on this mission. The Ottoman Empire opened a Consulate-General inHarar in 1910, followed by an Consulate inAddis Ababa in 1912 (after which the consulate in Harar was downgraded to anhonorary consulate).[1]
In 1926, following the establishment of the Republic of Turkey, this consulate was upgraded to embassy status, Turkey's first in sub-Saharan Africa. In 1933, Ethiopia reciprocated, opening an embassy inAnkara.[2] During the reign ofHaile Selassie, relations were good, as both countries were members of the unofficial "alliance of the periphery". The Emperor visited Turkey twice, in 1967 and in 1971, and an Ethiopian consulate-general was opened inIstanbul.[2] Relations soured during theDerg period, however, given difference in posture between the pro-Western Turkish government and the pro-Soviet Ethiopian government, and in 1984 Ethiopia closed its diplomatic missions in Turkey.[citation needed]
Relations improved in the 1990s and early 2000s, and on 21 April 2006 Ethiopia re-opened its embassy in Ankara.[2] The relations between the two countries have been described as excellent, both politically and economically.[3]
Numerous Ministers of the Ethiopian government have made formal visits to Turkey, while Undersecretaries of the TurkishMinistry of Foreign Affairs and the Turkish Director General for Security, Dr. Turan Genc have likewise visited Ethiopia.[1]
In December 2008, Turkey sent a trade delegation to Ethiopia, which met with the Prime Minister, the Minister of Trade and Industry Girma Biru, and the President of theOromia RegionAbadula Gemeda, as well as visited Turkish-owned textiles factories in Ethiopia.[4] A senior official of theMinistry of Foreign Affairs, who attended the discussion, expressed the hope that Turkey could share its experience and provide assistance to ongoing efforts to rehabilitate and extend its railway system.[5] However, there are also two Ethiopian-Turkish athletes:Elvan Abeylegesse andAlemitu Bekele.
On 18 August 2021, Ethiopian Prime MinisterAbiy Ahmed met Turkish PresidentRecep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara to sign military agreements,[6] amid reports that Turkish drones being constructed in Addis Ababa.[7] Reports emerged stating Ethiopia purchased theBayraktar-TB2 and theANKA-S drones fromTurkey.[8] In the meantime, Ethiopian government closed all schools run by theGülen movement by 11 August.[9]
Bilateral trade between the two countries grew from $200m to reach $650m by 2021. Meanwhile, Turkish investments in Ethiopia reached $2.5b, ranking second only toChina.[10]
Currently, there are direct flights betweenIstanbul andAddis Ababa withEthiopian Airlines andTurkish Airlines.
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