Visiting Cairo, Erdogan says Turkey will cooperate with Egypt on rebuilding Gaza

By Reuters 14 February 2024, 5:17 pm 1 Edit

In this handout photo released by Turkish Presidency, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, shakes hands with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sissi during their meeting at Al-Ittihadiya palace in Cairo, Egypt, Feb. 14, 2024. (Turkish Presidency via AP)

President Tayyip Erdogan says Turkey is ready for cooperation with Egypt to rebuild Gaza as he makes his first visit to the country since 2012, vowing to boost trade with Egypt to $15 billion in the short term.

In a joint news conference after talks with President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi in Cairo, Erdogan says the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza topped the agenda of their talks, adding that the two countries are evaluating energy and defense cooperation.

The visit marks a major step toward rebuilding relations between the regional powers, whose ties frayed over Egypt’s 2013 military coup and its fallout for the Muslim Brotherhood.