Since 2020, Cairo and Ankara have been working to repair strained relations. The signing of 17 agreements brings promise of better ties, which could help calm simmering regional tensions.
AFP
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi (L) shake hands after signing an agreement in Ankara on 4 September 2024.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi made his first presidential visit to Turkey on 4 September. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan personally greeted him at the airport in Ankara before they sat for the first meeting of the restructured High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council, established at their meeting in Cairo during President Erdoğan’s visit to Cairo in February.
In 2013, Egyptian-Turkish relations took a nosedive. In November of the same year, Cairo declared the Turkish Ambassador to Egypt “persona non grata,” and Ankara reciprocated. During this period, Turkey saw its relations with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates also strained.
It wasn’t until 2020 that the two countries started a normalisation process in a bid to overcome past grievances. Diplomatic representation at the ambassadorial level was restored after a ten-year hiatus, and Erdoğan paid an official visit to Egypt on 14 February 2024.
Unlocking potential
On Wednesday, 4 September, Erdoğan and el-Sisi signed 17 agreements, including in the fields of energy, technology and tourism. At the press conference after their meeting, the two presidents emphasised the historical relations between their countries while highlighting the potential to boost trade and tourism and enhance economic ties. They set a goal to more than double bilateral trade to $15bn from $6bn in 2023. Egypt is Turkey's largest trading partner in Africa.
Egypt and Turkey set a goal to more than double bilateral trade to $15bn from $6bn in 2023.
Both Turkey and Egypt are popular global tourism destinations. One way they can increase their share in the market is through attractive package offers covering the two destinations, as was the case before relations broke down.
Another shared goal—although probably more competitive in nature than cooperative—is their appetite to attract foreign investment. And even though both sides indicated an interest in cooperation in the defence field, no agreement was signed. That doesn't mean there isn't interest, but any cooperation should happen at its own time and pace. And although the two countries signed an energy deal, it is more about establishing a framework to explore future cooperation.
Benefits of regional cooperation
Regarding foreign affairs, Israel's war on Gaza and the occupied West Bank topped the agenda. Turkey understands Egypt's proximity to Gaza, its stature in the Arab world, and its relations with Israel make it an important player in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Furthermore, international humanitarian aid to Gaza, including from Turkey, is delivered through Egypt, which also acts as a host and facilitator in the ceasefire talks.
And although Turkey is keen to cooperate with Egypt, the two countries view Hamas much differently. Erdoğan is known to be sympathetic towards the Islamist group—a sentiment not widely shared in the region, particularly by the government in Cairo.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of the Palestinian movement Hamas, in Istanbul on April 20, 2024. Haniyeh was assassinated by Israel in Tehran on July 31, 2024.
And while both Erdoğan and el-Sisi have issued calls on Israel to end its aggression and allow unhindered entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, as well as statements in support of a two-state solution, observers do not predict deep cooperation between the two countries on the Palestine issue.
Meanwhile, regarding Libya, Syria, Sudan and the Horn of Africa, both Egypt and Turkey emphasised the importance of working together to prevent the worsening of humanitarian crises in these countries. Before normalisation, Egypt and Turkey supported opposing factions in Libya—which was another sore spot in their relationship. The détente between the two countries could help alleviate the crisis in Libya, which has recently seen a flare-up in tensions.
Egypt and Turkey also cross paths in the Horn of Africa, within the triangle of Ethiopia, Somalia and Somaliland. Both countries have good relations with Somalia, but Egypt's relationship with Ethiopia has been strained over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. For its part, Turkey, having hosted negotiations between Ethiopia and Somalia, could possibly play a role in improving relations between Egypt and Ethiopia.
It is worth mentioning that Erdoğan and el-Sisi did not take questions at the joint press conference. This unusual practice may be attributed to the fact that they did not want any remaining differences highlighted that could cast a shadow on the new era of improved relations still in the making.
