Egypt’s Sisi to pay first visit to Turkey in sign of Cairo-Turkey rapprochement

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi is set to visit Turkey for the first time since taking office early next month, in a sign of rapprochement following a decade of hostile relations between the two countries.

Sisi will visit Egypt on 4 September, according to The New Arab’s Arabic language sister publication, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

Topping the agenda of Sisi's meeting with Turkey’s President Erdogan will be Israel’s war on Gaza and the steps being taken to prosecute Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for war crimes, Turkish media reported.

The two leaders will also discuss the latest developments in Libya, Sudan, and Somalia, along with other regional issues related to stability and peace.

The New Arab reached out to the Turkish embassy in London for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

Relations between Turkey and Egypt have been poor since a military coup overthrew Egypt's first democratically-elected government, led by Muslim Brotherhood-linked Mohamed Morsi, in 2013 with Sisi made president the following year.

Since then, Sisi has launched a massive crackdown on members of the Muslim Brotherhood and pro-democracy activists, with around 60,000 political prisoners jailed since 2013. Erdogan at the time vowed to never shake hands with Sisi, referring to him as a "brutal dictator".

Relations have warmed recently with Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan visiting Cairo capital earlier this month and meeting Sisi with the Gaza war one issue both sides are increasingly aligned.

In a joint press conference on 5 August, Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said he had discussed steps with Turkish officials to be taken prior to Sisi’s visit to Ankara to ensure it is as "productive as possible".

Abdelatty added that the two countries plan on agreeing on several cooperation deals in several fields, from energy to tourism, and will hold the first meeting on the new strategic cooperation council.

Sisi will be accompanied by a number of businesspeople and will discuss energy issues, including liquefied natural gas, renewable energy, and mining, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported.

Both countries have discovered vast gas reserves off their coasts in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

During Erdogan’s visit to Cairo in February, the two countries elevated their ties to a "strategic cooperation" level, for the first time since 2012, describing it as the start of a “new chapter” in Turkey-Egypt ties.

During the visit, the leaders addressed a number of issues, including bilateral trade, energy, and the Libyan file. The two leaders called for "a new stage in relations" and for bilateral trade to increase to $15 billion per year "within a few years".

There have been slow signs of gradual rapprochement between Ankara and Cairo, particularly in 2021 when Turkey made efforts to build relations with Egypt's allies - including the UAE and Saudi Arabia - following a period of isolation and economic woes for Ankara.

In 2023 the two countries exchanged ambassadors, and relations have continued to improve since late 2023 following Israel’s war on Gaza.

Both countries have vowed to cooperate in efforts to end the war on Gaza, as Israel’s bombardment levels entire neighbourhoods and plunges the enclave into a deep humanitarian crisis.

"We will continue to cooperate and stand in solidarity with our Egyptian brothers to put an end to the bloodshed in Gaza," Erdogan said at a joint press conference in February.