Sisi pays first ever visit to Turkey amid ongoing rapprochement

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi made his first official visit to Turkey on Wednesday to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the latest step in a years-long rapprochement between the two countries. 

Relations became strained after Erdogan strongly condemned Egypt’s ouster of President Mohamed Morsi in 2013 and subsequent crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood.

During a press conference which took place on Wednesday afternoon, Sisi noted that the two countries would work together to address the aggression on the Gaza Strip, and that they would discuss political settlement in Libya, including freeing the country of militias and holding general elections soon. 

Their respective roles in Libya have formed a key point in talks toward rapprochement in recent years. 

Sisi also gestured toward seeking a resolution of the East Mediterranean issue during his speech in Ankara on Wednesday, reflecting Turkey and Egypt’s competing claims to exploration rights in areas of the Mediterranean Sea. 

Egypt’s support for Turkey’s rapprochement with Syria, joint work toward a ceasefire in Sudan and support for Somalia against “threats” were also mentioned in the Egyptian president’s official address.

Aside from foreign affairs, economic relations between the two countries were also high on the agenda, with Sisi noting plans to boost trade, investments and tourism, and to raise the trade exchange to US$15 billion. 

A source close to the media office of the ruling Reform and Justice Party in Turkey speaking on condition of anonymity told Mada Masr that around 20 agreements in the defense, energy, tourism, health, education and culture sectors are due to be signed during the bilateral visit.

The current trade volume between the two countries stands at $8 billion, according to remarks from the Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to the press earlier this year. 

The president’s Wednesday visit to the Turkish capital came at Erdogan’s invitation for his attendance at the Turkey-Egypt High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council. The council was announced during Erdogan's February visit to Cairo, which also laid out the objective of boosting trade volume by reviving the maritime shipping line for wheeled vehicles between the two countries, enhancing collaboration in energy sectors and enhancing cooperation in defense industries. 

Shortly before Erdogan's visit to Egypt in February, Fidan announced that Turkey would supply Egypt with drones as a step in military cooperation between the two countries.

According to Saudi-owned outlet Asharq al-Awsat, Turkish news reports have claimed that Egypt is contemplating equipping its air force with Turkish TAI Kaan fifth-generation fighters, among other options from China and Pakistan.

“May the visit reflect the common will to start a new phase of friendship and cooperation between Egypt and Turkey,” Sisi said in an official statement made on Wednesday. 

After the 2013 rift, relations between Ankara and Cairo remained icy throughout the blockade on Qatar. 

Bilateral meetings resumed as Turkey’s relations with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates thawed in 2021, with the two countries beginning talks toward a full rapprochement in the same year.

According to two Egyptian government officials who spoke to Mada Masr on condition of anonymity at the time, Egypt was concerned during the early talks about a number of people residing in Turkey who were convicted in Egypt’s courts, which held mass trials against alleged Muslim Brotherhood members for events following the 2011 revolution. Cairo was also concerned about criticism of Egypt in Turkey-based Arabic-language media, and wished for a decisive exit of Turkish-backed fighters from neighboring Libya, where the two countries provided support to opposing sides in the 14-month war for Tripoli.

Turkish authorities arrested at least 50 Egyptian nationals residing in Turkey in an ongoing security campaign launched following the reelection of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as president at the end of May. 

A source close to Egyptian opposition figures, residing in Turkey since the 2013 ouster and speaking to Mada Masr on condition of anonymity, said that they were being held since July in Gaziantep Prison on charges that were not yet clear. 

With migration a key policy issue during the Turkish election cycle, the security campaign was conducted under the pretense of targeting a range of nationals residing in Turkey with expired visas. 

However, according to the source, it was previously effective to seek resolution via informal channels with the Turkish authorities to resolve the status of Egyptians with expired residency permits. “Now, intervention doesn’t solve anything,” the source told Mada Masr. 

Beyond the security campaign, Turkish officials have imposed a number of other restrictions on opposition figures since the elections, the source added, including putting a halt on some pending naturalization applications and rejecting their petitions for humanitarian residence permits.