Turkey’s foreign minister visited Abu Dhabi on Wednesday for talks with the United Arab Emirates’ leadership, while Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar was in the Emirati capital the same day, fueling speculation about possible behind-the-scenes contact between Ankara and Tel Aviv.
Hakan Fidan’s one-day visit was announced by Turkey’s Foreign Ministry a day earlier without detailing an agenda. The UAE’s state news agency, WAM, said President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan received Fidan at Qasr Al Shati in Abu Dhabi and that the two discussed regional developments and bilateral ties.
Fidan also met with Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister, the Emirati Foreign Ministry said.
Turkish FM Fidan met UAE ruler MbZ today.
And, coincidentally (???) Israeli Foreign Minister Saar was also in Abu Dhabi. pic.twitter.com/x1fkk1MdGe
— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) January 14, 2026
Namık Tan, a former Turkish ambassador who is now a lawmaker from the Republican People’s Party (CHP), Turkey’s main opposition party, pointed out in a post on X that Sa’ar was also reported to be in Abu Dhabi the same day as Fidan.
Other Turkish and regional accounts pointed to the coincidence, citing Israeli media that described Sa’ar’s visit as low-profile. No official Israeli statement was immediately available publicly confirming such a trip.
Turkey suspended trade with Israel in 2024 over its war on Gaza. The two countries have recalled their ambassadors, though their embassies remain open and continue to be staffed by diplomats.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry and Israeli news outlets have previously described Sa’ar’s visits to Abu Dhabi as deliberately discreet, reflecting the political sensitivity of public engagement with Israel in the Gulf while Israel’s military campaign in Gaza continued.
In January 2025 Israeli and Emirati officials confirmed that Sa’ar met with Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed in Abu Dhabi in a visit that was not publicized until it was underway, according to Israeli reporting at the time. In April 2025 Sa’ar again met with his Emirati counterpart in Abu Dhabi, according to Israeli readouts and coverage.
The UAE, which normalized ties with Israel under the 2020 Abraham Accords, has positioned itself as a key regional player able to keep channels open with multiple rivals, including Israel, Turkey and Iran.
Fidan’s trip came at a moment of heightened regional tension, with Turkey pursuing high-level diplomacy across multiple fronts, including contacts with Iran and Gulf states.
Turkish and Emirati readouts of Fidan’s Abu Dhabi meetings emphasized broad themes such as strengthening bilateral relations and addressing regional developments. WAM said the two sides discussed Middle East issues, with a focus on efforts related to Gaza and the humanitarian crisis.
Neither Ankara nor Abu Dhabi publicly mentioned any meeting involving Israel.
In Turkish politics, the overlap drew attention because it came days after Tan linked Ankara’s recent diplomacy to what he portrayed as a shift in regional alignments, including contacts involving Syria and Israel.
Fidan has publicly argued that Turkey will not accept Israeli influence over Kurdish-led forces in Syria and has framed Ankara’s regional approach as countering Israeli objectives. Fidan said he hoped issues in Syria could be resolved peacefully but that force could be an option under certain circumstances following clashes involving Kurdish fighters.
On the same day as both foreign ministers’ visit to Abu Dhabi, US officials told reporters that they want “to see Turkey and Israel start to rebuild their relationship,” as the United States pushes a broader regional plan tied to Gaza’s postwar governance.
Those comments came as the Trump administration said it was launching a second phase of its plan focused on a technocratic Palestinian administration for Gaza, even as key elements of an earlier phase remained incomplete.