ANKARA: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is set to visit Turkiye for the first time in over ten years, Turkiye media reported on Thursday. Sisi will travel to Turkiye on September 4.
This visit follows a period of warming relations between the two nations. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan traveled to Cairo earlier this month to meet with Sisi and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty. During a joint press conference on August 5, Abdelatty revealed that discussions were held to ensure Sisi’s visit would be “as productive as possible.”
The two countries plan to sign several cooperation agreements covering areas such as energy and tourism, and to convene the first meeting of their new strategic cooperation council.
The relationship between Turkiye and Egypt was elevated to a “strategic cooperation” level during Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Egypt in February, marking the first visit of its kind since 2012. Both Sisi and Erdogan described this as the start of a “new chapter” in their bilateral relations.
Relations between Turkiye and Egypt soured following the 2013 ousting of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood-led government. Erdogan, who had previously criticized Sisi harshly, pledged not to engage with him.
However, in early 2021, Turkiye initiated a significant foreign policy shift aimed at mending relations with former regional adversaries to mitigate its regional isolation and address its economic challenges.
The exchange of ambassadors in July 2023 marked a key step in restoring ties, though reports of Sisi’s visit had previously been inaccurate.
The ongoing conflict in Gaza, where Egypt and Turkiye have had divergent views from Israel, is expected to be a significant topic during Sisi’s visit.
