Erdoğan, el-Sissi meet after long break, Gaza in focus
A first in 12 years, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan arrived in Egypt yesterday where his Egyptian counterpart el-Sissi personally welcomed him at the airport, breaking tradition in honor of his guest
IN THE first visit by a sitting Turkish leader in 12 years, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan arrived in Egypt yesterday. His Egyptian counterpart Abdel-Fattah elSissi personally welcomed him at the airport.
The two presidents shook hands on the tarmac as Erdoğan and first lady Emine Erdoğan disembarked their plane arriving from Dubai, where the Turkish president attended a summit on Tuesday. El-Sissi’s personal welcome for Erdoğan, which is rare for a visiting head of state in Egypt, highlighted the importance of the visit for the country, which shares a common history but saw their ties strained in recent years.
Following the welcoming ceremony, the two leaders headed to Al-Ittihadiya Palace where the Turkish leader attended an official welcoming ceremony, complete with gun salute. First lady Emine Erdoğan and a delegation of ministers accompanied Erdoğan, including Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek, National Defense Minister Yaşar Güler, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca and Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacır.
Erdoğan said earlier that discussions with el-Sissi would focus on the PalestineIsrael conflict. Egypt has been hosting joint efforts with Qatar and the United States to broker a new truce between Israel and Hamas. An Israel delegation was in Cairo on Tuesday, while a Hamas delegation was expected later yesterday. Türkiye is a staunch critic of what it calls war crimes and genocide of Palestinians by Israel. It also arranged the evacuation of Palestinian patients from Gaza through Egypt’s Rafah crossing. The visit caps diplomatic efforts in recent years to thaw the nations’ frosty relations. They mutually appointed ambassadors last year, and this month, Türkiye said it would provide Egypt with armed drones.