Erdogan visits Egypt for first time in decade
▶ El Sisi says historic trip ‘turns a new page’ in countries’ relations after years of disputes
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Egypt yesterday for a milestone visit that caps a recent thaw in relations between Cairo and Ankara after years of tension.
Mr Erdogan was received by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi as the Turkish leader arrived in Egypt for the first time in more than a decade.
During that time the countries were engaged in a series of disputes over issues including Cairo’s claims that Ankara meddles in the domestic affairs of other regional countries and supports militant groups.
The leaders travelled to Al Ittihadya Palace, where Mr Erdogan reviewed a guard of honour before talks began.
They signed an agreement to create a joint organisation – the Strategic Co-operation Council – which will work to advance relations in all fields.
Mr El Sisi announced he would visit Turkey in April for the proposed inaugural meeting of the council. The trip would be Mr El Sisi’s first to the country since he took office in 2014.
Both leaders said they wanted to increase bilateral trade from about $10 billion to $15 billion in the next few years.
“We share with Egypt a joint history that dates back more than 1,000 years and we want to advance relations. Egypt has the will to do that,” Mr Erdogan said after talks with Mr El Sisi.
The Egyptian leader said the visit “turned a new page in our relations”.
The two countries began talks to repair ties more than two years ago, with mid-ranking officials from each side discussing how to resolve tensions.
The process received a boost when Mr El Sisi and Mr Erdogan met for the first time at the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar.
The restoration of full diplomatic ties and a declared intention to boost co-operation signal a key change in the region’s geopolitical landscape.
Mr El Sisi said yesterday that Egypt looked forward to co-operating with Turkey to bring stability to Libya through legislative and presidential votes.
Events in the African country were a source of tension between Cairo and Ankara.
Egypt also opposed what it considered to be Turkey’s undue influence in Syria and Iraq, and perceived attempts by Ankara to muscle in on Cairo’s energy plans in the Eastern Mediterranean.
But Mr El Sisi was upbeat yesterday when discussing the future of those plans, saying he welcomed the current “quiet” in the region.
Resolving the energy disputes in the Eastern Mediterranean will benefit all parties seeking to exploit the large reserves of natural gas in the area, he said.
Mr Erdogan’s visit comes after economic ties between the two countries improved.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said this month that Ankara agreed to provide Cairo with drones, the first known arms deal between the countries since the thaw in relations began.
“Normalisation is important for Egypt to have certain technologies,” Mr Fidan said.
Mr Erdogan’s visit takes on added significance because of the Gaza war.
Mr Erdogan and Mr El Sisi have criticised Israel over the death toll – more than 28,500 have been killed so far – and the widespread destruction.
“We agreed on the need for an immediate ceasefire [in Gaza] and the need to achieve calm in the West Bank,” Mr El Sisi said.
The restoration of ties and declared intention to boost co-operation signals a key change in the region’s politics