Egypt’s President arrives in Turkey, signaling a significant step in the thawing of relations between the two countries after years of diplomatic tensions.
On Wednesday, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, President of Egypt commenced an authorized trip to Turkey. During his visit, he has scheduled meetings with Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish leader.
The Egyptian president’s visit to Turkey marks the first official one in a span of 12 years and coincides with an improvement in ties between these two influential nations.
After agreeing to mend ties and reappoint ambassadors, Erdogan visited Egypt in February for the first time in over a decade.
Relations between Cairo and Ankara disintegrated in 2013 when el-Sisi, who was serving as the army chief at that time, orchestrated the removal of democratically elected Islamist President Mohamed Morsi following widespread demonstrations against his polarizing initial year in office.
Morsi held a prominent position within the Muslim Brotherhood, an organization that has received support from Turkey for many years.
It is reported that during this second summit between el-Sisi and Erdogan, as they work to improve their relationship, approximately 20 agreements will be signed.
The intended outcomes are to prioritize enhancements in collaboration pertaining to energy, defense, tourism, health care sector as well as promoting culture and education.
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In addition, they will focus on worldwide and local concerns with a specific emphasis on the assaults made by Israel in Gaza as well as other Palestinian territories that have been occupied.
Egypt has been praised by Turkey for its humanitarian efforts and role as negotiator in Gaza truce talks, with thousands of tonnes of aid being sent to the country specifically for Palestinians.
A significant entourage of officials and businesspeople are accompanying El-Sisi.
According to Erdogan, the aim is to enhance bilateral trade between the two nations from $10 billion currently to $15 billion.
