What’s behind Saudi outreach to Ethiopia amid UAE rift?
After Saudi Arabia's foreign minister visited Ethiopia earlier this week, its deputy foreign minister arrived in Eritrea on Friday for talks with the country's president and foreign minister.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister visited Ethiopia this week as the Horn of Africa faces escalating tensions, with Gulf powers competing for influence and Ethiopia-Eritrea relations under strain.
What happened: On Wednesday, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan met in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
In an X post following the meeting, Abiy described the talks as “productive” and as covering a “broad range of bilateral and multilateral issues.”
Received His Highness Prince @FaisalbinFarhan Al Saud, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, today for productive discussions on a broad range of bilateral and multilateral issues. Our talks focused on strengthening the longstanding ties between our two… pic.twitter.com/1NBw8YFm4r
— Abiy Ahmed Ali 🇪🇹 (@AbiyAhmedAli) February 11, 2026
Images from the meeting sparked debate on social media over Abiy’s posture. In photos shared by Abiy, the prime minister appeared seated cross-legged across from the Saudi foreign minister.
