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Egypt's el-Sissi meets Erdogan on first visit to Turkey

September 4, 2024

After a decade of hostile ties, Cairo and Ankara want to restore relations and address regional and commercial issues.

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Erdogan welcomes el-Sissi on the tarmac at Ankara's airport
Ties between the two countries began improving in 2020 when Ankara tried to ease tensions with regional rivals, including EgyptImage: Turkish Presidency/Mustafa Kamaci/Anadolu/picture alliance

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi met his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in Ankara on Wednesday.

This marks the first visit by an Egyptian head of state to Turkey in 12 years, following a decade of tensions between the two countries. The meeting was expected to formalize their reconciliation.

Erdogan received el-Sissi as he stepped off his plane in the Turkish capital, according to images released by the Turkish presidency. 

The leaders are due to hold a joint press conference at 5 p.m. (1400 GMT).

What are they expected to discuss during the visit?

Besides discussing diplomatic matters, el-Sissi and Erdogan are set to address commercial and regional issues, according to Turkey's state news agency Anadolu.

Among the items of the agency is the signing of around 20 agreements on trade, energy, defense, tourism, health, culture, and education. They are also expected to talk about future cooperation on renewable energy and liquefied natural gas.

According to Turkey's Hürriyet newspaper, Turkey and Egypt plan to increase bilateral trade from $10 billion (€9.3 billion) to $15 billion.

Gaza cease-fire talks: What are the stumbling blocks?

The two leaders are also expected to discuss the situation in various regions of the world, particularly  the war between Israel and the radical Islamist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.  

Turkey is one of the countries seeking to prosecute Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for war crimes. 

Besides sending thousands of tons of aid to Egypt for Palestinians, Turkey has praised Cairo's efforts to broker a cease-fire in the region.  

The situation in Libya, Sudan, and Somalia will also be likely be discussed during the meeting.

When did relations begin to improve?

This meeting comes after Erdogan traveled to Cairo last February. During that visit, the first by the Turkish president to Egypt in 12 years, the two countries talked about mending ties.

However, rapprochement efforts initially began in 2020 when Ankara launched diplomatic initiatives to improve relations with countries like the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.

In recent years, el-Sissi and Erdogan have had occasional interactions, including a meeting at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Doha and a condolence call from Egypt to Turkey following the 2023 earthquakes.  

Since last year, the two nations have resumed appointing ambassadors in each other's countries, and Ankara has committed to providing Egypt with armed drones.  

Despite 10 years of hostile relations, both nations have continued commercial operations. Egypt is Turkey's largest trading partner in Africa, and Turkey is Egypt's fifth-largest trading partner.

What was the origin of the conflict?

The diplomatic conflict between Egypt and Turkey began in July 2013 when el-Sissi led a coup d'etat against the Islamist government of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Erdogan stated at the time that he would never meet with him and labeled him a coup leader and undemocratic.

fmf/nm (Reuters, AP)