Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is set to visit Turkey on Wednesday for a high-level meeting with President Tayyip Erdogan, marking the first presidential visit between the two nations in 12 years. This meeting represents a significant warming of relations that have been strained for over a decade and highlights a mutual commitment to improving diplomatic and economic ties.
Earlier this year, President Erdogan visited Cairo in February, marking his first trip to Egypt since 2012, which underscored efforts to restore ties between the two regional powers.
According to the Turkish presidency, the discussions during Sisi’s visit will cover the full range of Turkey-Egypt relations and explore new opportunities for collaboration. The talks are also expected to address pressing regional and global issues, particularly the ongoing conflict in Gaza and the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories.
President Sisi is expected to arrive in Ankara at 2 p.m. local time, with a joint press conference scheduled for 5 p.m.
The relationship between Ankara and Cairo deteriorated sharply in 2013 when Sisi, then Egypt’s army chief, led the ousting of Mohamed Mursi, a Muslim Brotherhood leader and ally of Turkey, who had been elected as Egypt’s first democratic president a year earlier.
Mursi, during his presidency, had made an official visit to Turkey in 2012.
Efforts to mend the strained relations began in 2020 when Turkey initiated a diplomatic outreach to ease tensions with regional adversaries, including Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.
Last year, both countries reinstated their ambassadors, and Turkey announced plans to supply Egypt with armed drones. During his visit to Cairo, Erdogan expressed the aim to boost trade between the two nations from $10 billion to $15 billion in the short term.
Turkey’s state-owned Anadolu news agency has reported that the two countries are expected to sign around 20 agreements to enhance cooperation in areas such as energy, defense, tourism, health, culture, and education. There are also plans to expand collaboration in renewable energy and liquefied natural gas (LNG).
In addition to these developments, the renewed engagement between Ankara and Cairo is anticipated to foster greater regional stability and economic growth, signaling a new era of cooperation. Turkey, which has been vocal in condemning Israel’s actions against Hamas in Gaza, has sent large amounts of aid to Egypt for Palestinians and has commended Cairo’s efforts in providing humanitarian assistance and mediating ceasefire negotiations.