Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is set to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Wednesday, marking the first presidential visit between the two nations in 12 years. The visit reflects a significant thaw in relations between the regional powers, which had been deeply strained for much of the past decade.
The meeting follows Erdogan’s trip to Cairo in February, his first since 2012, signaling a major step toward mending ties. Relations between Egypt and Turkey soured in 2013 when Sisi, then Egypt’s army chief, led the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi, an ally of Erdogan and a key figure in the Muslim Brotherhood. Morsi had visited Turkey as Egypt’s first democratically elected president in 2012, a visit that now serves as a historical backdrop to the current reconciliation.
“Turkey-Egypt relations will be reviewed in all their aspects, and possible joint steps to further develop cooperation will be discussed,” said the Turkish presidency in a statement on Tuesday. Talks will also cover a range of regional and global issues, including the Israeli attacks on Gaza and the Palestinian territories.
Sisi is expected to arrive in Ankara at 2 p.m. local time, with a joint press conference planned for later in the day.
Efforts to repair relations began in 2020 when Turkey launched a diplomatic campaign aimed at improving ties with several estranged regional players, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Last year, both Egypt and Turkey reinstated their ambassadors, and Erdogan later announced plans to increase bilateral trade from $10 billion to $15 billion.
The two countries are expected to sign around 20 agreements during the visit, covering areas such as energy, defense, tourism, and education. Cooperation on renewable energy and liquefied natural gas (LNG) is also on the agenda, according to Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency.
Turkey, which has strongly criticized Israel for its ongoing conflict with Hamas in Gaza, has sent substantial humanitarian aid to Egypt for distribution to Palestinians and praised Cairo’s role in brokering ceasefire talks.
