President Sisi to visit Turkey Wednesday for first time since assuming office

Ahram Online , Tuesday 3 Sep 2024

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi will visit Ankara on Wednesday, marking his first trip to Turkey since taking office in 2014.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi (left) with Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Cairo in February. AFP
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi (left) with Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Cairo in February. AFP

 

The visit comes at the invitation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to a statement from the Turkish Directorate of Communications.

During the visit, both leaders will co-chair the first meeting of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council. This council was established following the Joint Declaration signed during Erdogan's visit to Cairo in February.

According to the Turkish Directorate of Communications, the meeting will also involve a comprehensive review of the Egyptian-Turkish bilateral relations and discussions on potential steps to further enhance the Egyptian-Turkish cooperation.

El-Sisi and Erdogan will also exchange views on a number of regional and international issues of mutual concern, especially the Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip and the occupied Palestinian territories.

The visit is also expected to result in the signing of various agreements aimed at strengthening the contractual framework of Egyptian-Turkish relations, according to the statement.

El-Sisi’s visit to Ankara, the first since assuming presidency in 2014, comes as both nations are moving forward to normalise ties after a decade of rapture.

In August, President El-Sisi received Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in New Alamein City, where they discussed the latest regional developments.

In April, President Erdogan received Egypt’s Former Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry in Istanbul, where they discussed President El-Sisi’s anticipated visit to Turkey.

Erdogan's visit to Cairo in February was his first in over a decade.

In a joint press conference on the side of Erdogan's visit to Cairo, El-Sisi said the two countries can “turn a new page” in their relationship to strengthen cooperation on all levels.

In July 2023, Egypt and Turkey upgraded their diplomatic relations to the ambassadorial level.

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