The Egyptian president was received by his Turkish counterpart with the aim of putting an end to a decade of divisions, starting with the confrontation over the Muslim Brotherhood. Seventeen cooperation agreements were signed between two countries that, in reality, had never broken ties. The “realignment” was also favoured by a common vision on Gaza.
Ankara () – Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s first visit to Ankara, welcomed yesterday with great honours by his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan after years of tension and division, concluded with the signing of 17 cooperation agreements. The meeting between the two leaders of the Muslim world and the Mena region (North Africa and the Middle East) seems to have thus put an end to a decade of estrangement, opening a new era in relations – particularly institutional ones – between Egypt and Turkey. At the same time, it confirms an economic and commercial link that, even during the most recent phase of tension and hostility, had never been completely broken.
A large delegation accompanied al-Sisi, who came to Ankara for a one-day visit after the two heads of state held their first official meeting in Cairo in February after years of tension. “My first visit to this friendly country is an indication that relations between the two countries will continue to develop,” the Egyptian president told reporters during a joint press conference at the end of three hours of talks between the leaders and the delegations.
Ankara and Cairo had broken off relations in 2013 after President al-Sisi, then Minister of Defence, overthrew President Mohamed Morsi, a Turkish ally and member of the Muslim Brotherhood movement. At the time, Erdogan said he would never speak to “anyone” like al-Sisi, who a year later became president of the most populous nation in the Arab world. The phase of deep tensions and divisions has continued, but in the last two years relations have recovered thanks to the “realignment” on several important issues, not least the Gaza war between Israel and Hamas, on which there is a common opinion. Moreover, despite a certain distance between the leaders in the past, trade exchanges between Egypt and Turkey have not ceased in the last decade, to the point that Ankara is Egypt’s fifth largest trading partner, while Egypt is Turkey’s first partner in Africa.
Returning to yesterday’s meeting, the two countries signed agreements to deepen their cooperation on a range of issues, from energy to culture. “My visit to Cairo marked a new turning point in our relations,” Erdogan said. “With the return today of my dear brother’s visit, I am delighted to welcome you again.” [al-Sisi]“We have made even greater progress in our relations,” the Turkish leader added. This language undoubtedly represents a turning point for Erdogan, who had sworn in 2013 that he would never shake hands with him for the expulsion of the Muslim Brotherhood. Over time, however, economic and expedient reasons have prevailed, leading the two leaders of the Muslim world to strengthen relations on the political and diplomatic level as well. A change of course that has brought Ankara closer not only to Egypt, but also to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Taking advantage of its strategic location, Turkey is seeking to participate in key regional energy projects that aim to transport Egyptian natural gas to Europe, amid Western efforts to reduce its dependence on Russia. “We are eager to strengthen our energy cooperation with Egypt, especially in natural gas and nuclear energy,” Erdogan said. The Turkish leader also reiterated the goal of increasing the volume of trade between the two countries to $15 billion from the current $10 billion, at a time when foreign direct investment by Turkish companies in Egypt has increased to $3 billion over the past year.
Finally, the two leaders signed a joint statement reiterating their willingness to increase coordination on a number of regional issues such as Gaza, Libya and the Horn of Africa. These are signs of a gradual narrowing of differences on the various foreign policy issues between Ankara and Cairo, especially on the Libyan conflict, where the two capitals have supported rival groups in the civil war. “We must work together, especially when addressing regional issues, to prevent humanitarian crises,” Sisi said. Moreover, in an attempt to pave the way for mending relations in the region, Ankara has abandoned policies of open and manifest support for the Muslim Brotherhood, branded a terrorist organisation by Cairo and several Gulf capitals.
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