President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a phone call on Sunday with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to convey his well wishes for a swift recovery and to postpone his upcoming visit, according to Türkiye’s Communications Directorate.

During the call, Erdoğan expressed his sadness over the UAE leader's illness.

Erdoğan also said he would visit the Gulf country at a later date when it is convenient.

The president's visit had been scheduled for Monday, with talks expected to focus on expanding cooperation between Türkiye and the UAE, as well as developments in the region and worldwide.

Erdoğan is also expected to visit Ethiopia on Tuesday although it wasn’t immediately clear whether the president would still go ahead with the trip.