President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi’s visit to Turkey on 4 September opens a new phase of cooperation between the two countries, read a statement issued by the Egyptian presidency during President Al-Sisi’s trip.

“My visit to Turkey paves the way for a new phase in economic and trade relations,” said Al-Sisi. He added that the spate of recent exchange visits reflects the two countries’ determination to open a new page of cooperation.

For his part, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: “We will enhance our multifaceted relations in a win-win manner.”

Professor of political science Tarek Fahmi said that the recent visits — Erdogan was in Cairo in February — have placed bilateral relations back on track after a decade of tensions and that “common interests and mutual benefits are now the order of the day.”

The war in Gaza was high on the agenda during President Al-Sisi’s meeting with Erdogan. “I reiterate Egypt and Turkey’s joint call for an immediate ceasefire and rejection of Israeli escalation in the occupied West Bank,” said Al-Sisi.

A diplomat speaking on condition of anonymity said that while recent tensions had exposed the ideological differences between the two countries “at present, it is clear that both countries find mutual interests exceed any differences.”

Fahmi says outstanding bilateral files — “boosting trade, tourism, setting up projects in the new capital, etc” — are all but settled, illustrating the extent to which “the two countries have transcended previous differences.”

Ankara’s support for the Muslim Brotherhood and its offering a safe haven to members of the outlawed group had long been a bone of contention. Turkey began to gradually reverse that policy in 2020-21 and focus instead on regional rapprochement.

It ordered Arabic channels operating in the country to tone down their criticism of Egypt and Al-Sisi and early last year arrested 50 Egyptians living in Turkey as part of a campaign to clamp down on foreign nationals without visas. Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood figures were among the detained.

Al-Sisi and Erdogan also discussed the situations in Libya and Syria, security in the Red Sea, the Horn of Africa, gas in the Eastern Mediterranean area and the defence pacts both countries recently signed with Somalia.

The future of relations, explained Fahmi, is conditional on finding common ground on these issues.

“Erdogan said coordination with Egypt over Gaza, the West Bank and Jerusalem is a top priority. And while the last few days have seen closer coordination over Libya, it would help to expand that to cover other pressing issues such as security in the Gulf, the Red Sea region and Africa, including over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on which Turkey says it can play a meditating role,” argued Fahmi. Egypt can also play a role in bridging the differences between Ankara and Damascus.

During Al-Sisi’s visit, the two leaders co-chaired the first meeting of the High-level Strategic Cooperation Council. Established by a joint declaration signed during Erdogan’s visit to Cairo, the council is mandated to enhance bilateral relations and gradually elevate them to the strategic level.

During Al-Sisi’s trip, ministers from both countries signed 18 memoranda of understanding on cooperation in fields ranging from energy and agriculture to education, tourism, and transport.

The two countries are targeting an increase in trade to $15 billion over the next few years.

The volume of trade between Egypt and Turkey jumped by 82 per cent during FY 2021-22 to reach $6.8 billion.

Erdogan’s visit to Cairo followed years of diplomatic strife after the removal of Mohamed Morsi as Egypt’s president following massive protests in 2013.

“I expect the region will see changes in the balance of power due to the resumption of relations between Egypt and Turkey and Egypt and Iran. The rules of the game and priorities will now be set according to mutual interests,” said Fahmi.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 12 September, 2024 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly