Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday announced he was postponing a visit to Abu Dhabi because Emirati leader Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan had a “health problem” — then deleted the message. The message, posted by Erdogan’s team on X, said he had talked with Al Nahyan by phone. “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,” said the three-paragraph message. Turkey’s state broadcaster likewise took down its article on Erdogan that mentioned the Emirati leader’s health problem. The Emirati leader’s team on Saturday evening released photos taken the same day showing Al Nahyan, known as MBZ, smiling and apparently in good health, with Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the emir of Qatar.

Source: Punch February 16, 2026 08:36 UTC