Al Sisi arrives in Ankara on his first official trip to Turkey since coming to power in 2014

The trip comes at the invitation of Erdogan and amid improved bilateral relations between the two countries.

September 4 (EUROPA PRESS) –

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi travelled to Turkey on Wednesday to meet with his counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, his first trip to Turkey since coming to power in 2014, amid diplomatic rapprochement between the two countries in recent months.

Al Sisi was received by Erdogan himself upon his arrival at Esenboga Airport in the capital, Ankara, where he was also met by a delegation that included the Turkish Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, and the governor of the capital, Vasip Sahin.

Egyptian presidential spokesman Ahmed Fahmi said in a statement that the president’s “historic visit” “represents a new milestone on the path to strengthening relations between the two countries.” “The visit follows Erdogan’s historic visit to Egypt in February and opens a new phase in friendship and joint cooperation between the two countries,” he said.

He also stressed that the meeting is taking place amid “substantial challenges” in the region, which “require consultation and coordination between the two countries.” In this regard, he said that both leaders will discuss “efforts to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, put an end to the serious humanitarian catastrophe in the enclave and reduce tensions in the Middle East.”

The Turkish presidency had confirmed the trip in a statement published on Tuesday, stressing that it had taken place at Erdogan’s invitation and saying that “all aspects” of bilateral relations would be “reviewed” during the meetings between the two leaders with the aim of “deepening bilateral cooperation.”

“Aside from bilateral relations, we will discuss regional and global issues, particularly the Israeli attacks on Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian Territories,” he said. Both countries have confirmed that Erdogan and Al Sisi will sign “several documents” to strengthen their ties.

The trip comes months after Erdogan made his first trip to Egypt since taking office in February – having travelled to the African country in his capacity as prime minister in 2012 – amid normalisation efforts that began in November 2022 during the opening of the World Cup in Qatar.

Erdogan was highly critical of Sisi for the 2013 coup against then-president Mohamed Mursi, an Islamist militant who died in prison in 2019. Mursi became the first democratically elected president in the African country in 2012 after Hosni Mubarak fled in 2011 amid the Arab Spring protests.