Turkish President Erdogan arrives at Cairo first time in 12 years
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Live television footage showed Sisi greeting Erdogan and his wife as they went off the plane in Cairo and conversed while walking together on a red carpet.
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In this handout photo released by the Turkish Presidency, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, shakes hands with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sissi during their meeting at Al-Ittihadiya palace in Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday, February 14, 2024. (AP)
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan made his first visit to Egypt since 2012 today to meet President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, in a big step forward towards rebuilding relations between both countries.
Live television footage showed Sisi greeting Erdogan and his wife as they went off the plane in Cairo and conversed while walking together on a red carpet.
Erdogan has said discussions would focus on "Israel's" offensive in the Gaza Strip and both leaders agreed to hold a joint press conference later.
Bloomberg reported that the talks between Erdogan and Sisi will mainly focus on facilitating aid entry into Gaza and potential steps that could be taken to end the war.
The visit is part of diplomatic efforts in recent years to rekindle the nations' relations. They mutually appointed ambassadors last year, and this month Turkey announced it would provide Egypt with armed drones.
Improving relations
Relations between Ankara and Cairo fell in 2013 after Sisi led the removal of the Brotherhood's Mohamed Mursi, an ally of Turkey who was popularly elected the year before.
According to a draft program, Sisi and Erdogan planned to hold bilateral talks before a meeting between the two delegations, with a formal dinner.
Erdogan has attempted to soften tensions with Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and "Israel" since 2021, however, since October 7 he has severely opposed Netanyahu amid the Israeli genocide against Gaza.
Egypt, "Israel", Qatar, and the United States held inconclusive talks yesterday discussing steps towards a ceasefire in Gaza in which Egypt announced that it will not allow Palestinian refugees across its borders.
Last September both presidents met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in New Delhi and they agreed to strengthen relations and cooperation, improve diplomatic relations between the two countries, and mutually appoint ambassadors.
Last May, over a phone call, the Egyptian president congratulated President Erdogan on his victory in the Turkish presidential elections. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry also visited Turkey last February, in solidarity with Ankara, following the major earthquake that struck the country.
