Egypt’s Sisi heads for Turkey in first presidential visit in 12 years

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will hold talks with President Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey on Wednesday in the first presidential level visit in 12 years amid a warming of long-frozen relations between the regional powers.

The visit comes after Erdogan travelled to Cairo in February, his first trip to Egypt since 2012, taking a major step toward rebuilding ties that were severely strained for a decade.

“Turkey-Egypt relations will be reviewed in all their aspects and possible joint steps in the coming period to further develop cooperation will be discussed,” the Turkish presidency’s communications office said in a statement on Tuesday.

“In addition to bilateral relations, there will be an exchange of views on current regional and global issues, especially the Israeli attacks on Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories,” it added.

Sisi was set to arrive in Ankara at 2 p.m. (1100 GMT), with a joint press conference scheduled for 5 p.m. (1400 GMT).

Relations between Ankara and Cairo collapsed in 2013 after Egypt’s then-army chief Sisi led the ouster of the Brotherhood’s Mohamed Mursi, an ally of Turkey who had become Egypt’s first democratically elected president the year before.

Mursi visited Turkey as president in 2012.

Ties between the two countries began improving in 2020 when Ankara launched a diplomatic charm offensive to ease tensions with its estranged regional rivals, including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

Turkey and Egypt mutually reappointed ambassadors last year, and Ankara has said it would provide Cairo with armed drones. Erdogan said in Cairo that the countries wanted to boost trade to $15 billion in the short term from $10 billion.

Turkey’s state-owned Anadolu news agency said the two countries would sign some 20 agreements to boost commercial ties and cooperate on energy, defence, tourism, health, culture and education. It said deepening cooperation on renewable energy and liquefied natural gas (LNG) was also planned.

Turkey, which has condemned Israel for its war against Hamas militants in Gaza, has sent thousands of tonnes of aid to Egypt for Palestinians and praised Cairo’s humanitarian efforts and role as negotiator in ceasefire talks.