Türkiye and Egypt share the same views regarding the Palestinian cause and have agreed on holding further discussions regarding ongoing regional crises, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Wednesday, as he and Egyptian counterpart Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi hailed the new chapter in bilateral relations.
“Türkiye and Egypt share a mutual stance regarding the issue of Palestine,” Erdoğan told a joint news conference in the capital Ankara. He continued by saying that both countries prioritize halting Israel’s attacks and a permanent cease-fire.
Calling Türkiye and Egypt’s contributions to regional peace and stability “vital,” Erdoğan said both countries agreed to hold regular discussions to find solutions to regional problems, saying that Palestine topped the agenda of their meeting.
The president also highlighted that Türkiye sends around 32% of the humanitarian aid to Gaza, which is currently under full Israeli blockade. He thanked Egyptian authorities, including the Egyptian Red Crescent, for cooperating with the Turkish Red Crescent and Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) in the transfer and distribution of aid to Palestinians.
The president repeated his criticism of Western countries for their complicity in Israel’s crimes. He noted that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who’s responsible for murdering at least 41,000 Palestinians, belongs at the dock, where he should be tried for his crimes, rather than the U.S. Senate, where he received standing ovations for his speech, which was full of lies and provocations. Erdoğan also said Israel and its supporters are responsible for the death of each innocent soul who dies in Gaza due to hunger, lack of water or medicine.
Erdoğan thanked el-Sissi for reciprocating his visit to Cairo, which he called a turning point in bilateral relations.
He noted that both countries have been continuously holding consultations regarding regional issues and that el-Sissi’s visit was another step to further boost relations.
For his part, el-Sissi said Türkiye and Egypt need to boost cooperation in security.
He continued by saying that Cairo fully supports Ankara’s diplomatic efforts, as he said they welcome efforts to revive ties between Türkiye and Syria.
He also said Egypt and Türkiye called for a cease-fire in Gaza and urged Israel to end violence in the West Bank.
The two leaders signed new cooperation deals during el-Sissi’s visit, expected to further mend ties that deteriorated about a decade ago.
Relations between Ankara and Cairo hit a new low in 2013 after Egypt’s then-army chief, el-Sissi, led the ouster of Mohammed Morsi, the last Egyptian president to visit Türkiye in 2012.
The Presidency’s Directorate of Communications said ahead of el-Sissi’s visit that the two leaders would review bilateral relations in all aspects, as well as possible joint steps in the future. “There will be an exchange of views on current regional and global issues, especially the Israeli attacks on Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories,” the directorate said.
Ties between the two countries began thawing in 2020 when Ankara launched a diplomatic blitz to restore a relationship with various countries, from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Saudi Arabia. They mutually reappointed ambassadors in 2023.
The two leaders met on the sidelines of the G-20 leaders summit in September and held conversations over the phone, particularly on the latest round of the Palestine-Israel conflict that broke out on Oct. 7. Egypt is a leading actor in resolving the Palestine-Israel conflict and hosted talks with Hamas the day Erdoğan visited Cairo. It is also the only country with a safe border crossing for Gazans and delivery of humanitarian relief. Türkiye, currently the largest aid provider to the Palestinian enclave, has delivered its shipments through the Rafah crossing in cooperation with Egyptian authorities so far. Pundits have argued cooperation between the two countries could help push for steps to end Israel’s occupation policy and resolve the Palestinian issue.
Erdoğan often reiterates the need for Muslim unity to end Israel’s attacks on the Gaza Strip that have killed at least 40,000 Palestinians in the past 10 months.
Normalization could also lead to a breakthrough in the Eastern Mediterranean, where the region’s countries have overlapping claims on maritime borders and natural gas resources, notably with Greece and Libya. On the business side, Egypt and Türkiye were scheduled to sign some 20 bilateral agreements in fields from defense to energy, according to the media reports. The two sides are eyeing increasing the trade volume to $15 billion (TL 510.62 billion) from around $10 billion.
