First Visit of Egyptian President to Turkey in 12 Years Coincides with Improvement in Relations Between the Two Countries

Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, the President of Egypt, arrived in Ankara on Wednesday, September 14, for talks with Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the President of Turkey. This is the first visit by an Egyptian president to Turkey in 12 years and is seen as a sign of improving relations between the two regional powers that have long had a cold relationship. Erdoğan's visit to Cairo last February was also his first visit to Egypt in 12 years and a significant step in improving relations between the two countries, which had been severely strained for over a decade. Following the military coup in Egypt led by General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in 2013, which ousted the then-government of Prime Minister Mohamed Morsi from the Muslim Brotherhood, relations between Cairo and Ankara soured significantly. Mohamed Morsi, considered an ally of Turkey, came to power a year before the military coup as Egypt's first democratically elected president and visited Turkey on his first foreign trip. Erdoğan stated during his first visit to Egypt after 12 years that Turkey is ready to cooperate for the reconstruction of Gaza. The Turkish Presidential Office's public relations department announced on Tuesday evening that "all aspects of Turkey-Egypt relations will be reviewed in this meeting and joint actions for developing cooperation will be discussed. The leaders of the two countries will discuss important international and regional issues, especially Israel's attacks on Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories." Erdoğan welcomed el-Sisi at Ankara Airport. They then traveled in the ceremonial vehicle of the Turkish president to the presidential palace for the official welcome ceremony. The two presidents will preside over the first meeting of the Egypt-Turkey Strategic Cooperation Council, which will begin after the welcome ceremony at the presidential palace. Abdel Fattah el-Sisi stated that his trip to Ankara and Erdoğan's visit to Cairo in February are signs of the joint will of Egypt and Turkey to begin a new era of friendship and cooperation. The process of improving relations between Ankara and Cairo began in 2020 when Turkey sought to improve its strained relations with regional rivals, including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, through diplomatic gestures and adjustments in its positions. Egypt and Turkey elevated their diplomatic relations to the ambassadorial level last year, and Ankara announced it would export military drones to Egypt. Erdoğan mentioned during his February visit to Cairo that the two countries aim to increase their trade volume to about five billion dollars in a short period. According to official Turkish statistics, Turkey's exports to Egypt reached 2.3 billion dollars in the first seven months of this year, a 29 percent increase compared to the same period last year, while imports from Egypt also grew by 15 percent to 2.65 billion dollars. During this period, 120,000 Egyptian tourists visited Turkey, marking a 20 percent increase compared to the same period in 2023. Anadolu, the Turkish state news agency, reported that during el-Sisi's visit to Ankara, the two countries will sign about 20 memoranda of understanding and contracts in the fields of energy, defense, health, education, culture, and tourism. Anadolu added that the expansion of cooperation between the two countries in renewable energy and liquefied natural gas (LNG) will also be discussed in these negotiations. The Turkish government, which has strongly condemned the Israeli military's attacks on Gaza, has sent thousands of tons of humanitarian aid for Palestinians living in Gaza through Egypt and has appreciated the role of the Egyptian government in humanitarian efforts and mediation aimed at establishing a ceasefire.