IRIA News

Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Cairo, Egypt, on February 14, 2024, on his first visit to the country since 2012, sealing a thaw in ties between the regional heavyweights.

Erdogan’s trip was focused on increasing cooperation between the two countries, addressing the regional security crisis, and rebuilding Gaza.

Erdogan met with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi as the two leaders conducted bilateral talks in Cairo, followed by a joint news conference. The meeting marked a significant stride in the efforts to restore relations between these regional powers.

Thaw in Turkey-Egypt relationship

Turkish President Erdogan’s visit to Cairo marked a significant step towards potentially normalizing strained ties between the two nations after over a decade. His meeting with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi holds promise for easing tensions in their region, as intensified communication and cooperation between Türkiye and Egypt could lead to greater regional stability. With conflicts in hot zones like the Eastern Mediterranean, Palestine, Syria, and Libya, improved Turkish-Egyptian relations could contribute to stability in these areas.

The signing of a joint declaration to restructure high-level Strategic Cooperation Council meetings between Egypt and Turkey underscores the importance of bilateral coordination in addressing regional and international issues. This cooperation extends to areas such as the Middle East, Libya, and the Horn of Africa, reflecting both countries’ commitment to promoting security and stability on the African continent.

The visit follows the recent upgrade of diplomatic relations between Ankara and Cairo, signaling a thaw after years of diplomatic tension since the 2013 coup. The countries mutually appointed ambassadors last year. This month, Turkey said it would provide Egypt with armed drones.

The normalization of ties comes after a decade. Egypt and Turkey cut ties in 2013 after Al-Sisi ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, an ally of Turkey and part of the Muslim Brotherhood movement. At the time, Erdogan said he would never speak to “anyone” like Al-Sisi, who in 2014 became president of the Arab world’s most populous nation. But relations have thawed since 2021, when a Turkish delegation visited Egypt to discuss normalization.

In November 2022, Erdogan and Al-Sisi shook hands in Qatar on the sidelines of an event celebrated, marking a new chapter in their relations. Subsequently, the two leaders convened in various other nations, such as Saudi Arabia in November and at the G20 summit in India in September.

Cooperation on Gaza

The ongoing humanitarian tragedy in Gaza remained the top agenda during their talks. Erdogan said “We will continue to cooperate and stand in solidarity with our Egyptian brothers to put an end to the bloodshed in Gaza,” he said, adding Turkey was determined to step up talks with Egypt at all levels to establish peace and stability in the region.

The Egyptian president said that he agreed with his Turkish counterpart “on the imperative need to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip with utmost urgency and restore calm in the West Bank, to pave the way for the resumption of the peace process at the earliest opportunity, leading to the declaration of a sovereign Palestinian State.”

Erdogan’s visit to Egypt comes at a time when Cairo is playing a major role in conducting joint efforts with Qatar and the United States to broker a potential truce deal between Hamas and Israel. An Israeli delegation was in Cairo a day before Erdogan’s visit while a Hamas delegation arrived the same day Erdogan landed in Cairo.

Boosting trade

Apart from focusing on the deteriorating security situation in the Middle East, President Erdogan also vowed to boost trade with Egypt to $15 billion in the short term, adding that the two countries were evaluating energy and defense cooperation.

“I’d like to emphasize the continued connection between our peoples, over the past ten years, while our trade and investment relationship saw steady growth,” Al-Sisi said during the press briefing.

Erdogan also invited Al-Sisi to visit Ankara in April this year for the first meeting of the new strategic cooperation council between the two countries, which was accepted by the Egyptian leader.