Turkey and Egypt have turned a new leaf in their relations after a decade of diplomatic rift, as their leaders met in Cairo on Wednesday and agreed to work together to rebuild the war-torn Gaza Strip.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi held a joint news conference after bilateral talks, in which they expressed their willingness to cooperate on various regional issues, especially the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The two countries have been at odds since 2013, when the Egyptian military ousted the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohamed Mursi, an ally of Turkey, from the presidency amid mass protests. Egypt then declared the Brotherhood a terrorist organization and cracked down on its supporters, while Turkey offered them refuge and support.
The tensions eased in recent years, as Turkey toned down its criticism of Egypt and sought to repair its ties with other Arab states. In November 2022, Erdogan and Sisi shook hands for the first time in Qatar, where they attended the World Cup.
The war in Gaza, which erupted in May 2023 between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, has also brought the two countries closer, as they both condemned the Israeli aggression and called for a ceasefire. Egypt played a key role in mediating the truce, while Turkey provided humanitarian aid to the besieged enclave.
Erdogan said on Wednesday that Turkey was ready to cooperate with Egypt to rebuild Gaza and end the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands. He also accused the Israeli government of committing “massacres” and “ethnic cleansing” in Gaza and the West Bank.
“We will continue to cooperate and stand in solidarity with our Egyptian brothers to put an end to the bloodshed in Gaza,” he said, adding that Turkey was determined to step up talks with Egypt at all levels to establish peace and stability in the region.
Sisi echoed Erdogan’s remarks, saying that the two leaders agreed on the need for an immediate and lasting ceasefire in Gaza and the resumption of the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks based on the two-state solution.
“I’d like to emphasize the continued connection between our peoples, over the past ten years, while our trade and investment relationship saw steady growth,” Sisi said.
The two presidents also discussed other regional challenges, such as the conflicts in Libya, Syria, Yemen and Iraq, and the threat of terrorism and extremism. They vowed to enhance their economic and security cooperation and boost their trade volume to $15 billion in the short term.
They also agreed to explore the possibilities of energy and defense cooperation, as Turkey said it would provide Egypt with armed drones. Egypt, which has the largest natural gas reserves in the region, said it would consider exporting gas to Turkey.
The summit in Cairo was seen as a historic step toward restoring the strategic partnership between Turkey and Egypt, two of the most populous and influential countries in the Middle East and the Muslim world.
Analysts said that the rapprochement could have positive implications for the stability and development of the region, as well as for the resolution of the long-standing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
However, they also cautioned that the two countries still have some differences and challenges to overcome, such as the role of the Muslim Brotherhood, the situation in Libya, and the relations with other regional powers, such as Saudi Arabia, Iran and Israel.
The two leaders said they would continue their dialogue and coordination to address these issues and to build trust and mutual understanding.
They also expressed their hope that their meeting would pave the way for more cooperation and integration among the Arab and Muslim nations, and for a more peaceful and prosperous future for their peoples.
Source: ReutersÂ
