Egypt’s Sisi in Turkey for first presidential visit in 12 years

Ankara, Sep 4 (IANS) Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi arrived in Ankara on Wednesday for talks with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, marking the first visit by an Egyptian president to Turkey in 12 years as the two countries seek to normalise relations after more than a decade of tension.

Erdogan and Sisi will co-chair the inaugural meeting of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council, the Turkish presidency said in a statement, Xinhua news agency reported.

“All aspects of Turkey-Egypt relations will be reviewed, and joint steps that could be taken in the upcoming period to further improve bilateral cooperation will be addressed at the Council meeting,” the statement said, adding several agreements are expected to be signed during the meeting.

The two leaders’ talks will also include discussions on “current regional and global matters, particularly the ongoing Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip and the occupied Palestinian territories,” the statement noted.

The visit follows Erdogan’s trip to Cairo in February, signaling a thaw in bilateral ties after years of hostility. Relations between Turkey and Egypt soured after the ouster of former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 and the subsequent banning of his Turkey-backed Muslim Brotherhood group, which led both countries to expel each other’s ambassadors.

Ties between the two countries began to improve in 2020 when Ankara launched a diplomatic effort to reduce tensions with its estranged regional rivals, including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.

–IANS

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