Egypt’s Sissi heads to Turkey for 1st presidential visit in 12 years amid warming ties
Trip comes as countries plan some 20 agreements on gas, defense, tourism; leaders to also discuss Israel-Hamas war, Israeli operations in the West Bank
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi will hold talks with President Reçep Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey on Wednesday in the first presidential-level visit in 12 years amid a warming of long-frozen relations between the regional powers.
The visit comes after Erdogan traveled to Cairo in February, his first trip to Egypt since 2012, taking a major step toward rebuilding ties that were severely strained for a decade.
“Turkey-Egypt relations will be reviewed in all their aspects and possible joint steps in the coming period to further develop cooperation will be discussed,” the Turkish presidency’s communications office said in a statement on Tuesday.
“In addition to bilateral relations, there will be an exchange of views on current regional and global issues, especially the Israeli attacks on Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories,” it added.
Israel has been at war with the Hamas terror group in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists invaded southern Israel from the enclave, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages amid acts of brutality and sexual assault.
Turkey, which has expressed support for Hamas, has sent thousands of tons of aid to Egypt for Palestinians and praised Cairo’s humanitarian efforts and role as negotiator in ongoing hostage-ceasefire talks.
The Israeli military is also carrying out ongoing counterterror operations in the West Bank.
Sissi was set to arrive in Ankara on Wednesday afternoon, with a press conference scheduled for later in the day.
Relations between Ankara and Cairo collapsed in 2013 after Egypt’s then-army chief Sissi led the ouster of the Brotherhood’s Mohammed Morsi, an ally of Turkey who had become Egypt’s first democratically elected president the year before.
Morsi visited Turkey as president in 2012.
Ties between the two countries began improving in 2020 when Ankara launched a diplomatic charm offensive to ease tensions with its estranged regional rivals, including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
Turkey and Egypt mutually reappointed ambassadors last year, and Ankara has said it would provide Cairo with armed drones. Erdogan said in Cairo that the countries wanted to boost trade to $15 billion in the short term from $10 billion.
Turkey’s state-owned Anadolu news agency said the two countries would sign some 20 agreements to boost commercial ties and cooperate on energy, defense, tourism, health, culture and education. It said deepening cooperation on renewable energy and liquefied natural gas (LNG) was also planned.
