Sisi, Erdogan to discuss ceasefire, humanitarian aid delivery in Gaza in Cairo meeting

CAIRO – 14 February 2024: Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and his Turkish counterpart, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will discuss several regional issues and challenges.

According to the Egyptian Presidency, the talks will address the ceasefire in Gaza and the delivery of humanitarian aid to people in the strip.

Additionally, Sisi and Erdogan will hold extensive talks to push forward ongoing efforts aimed at enhancing the bilateral relations between Egypt and Turkey, the Presidency added.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is due to arrive in Egypt on Wednesday in his first official visit to the country since 2012, while both countries are striving to improve their ties after a decade of tensions.

Improving relations, coordination

Last year, Egypt and Turkey announced elevating their diplomatic relations, exchanging ambassadors, after rounds of exploratory talks.

In February 2023, Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry made the first visit by Egypt’s top diplomat to Turkey since relations strained. Shoukry’s visits to Turkey and Syria at the time aimed to show solidarity with both countries after the devastating earthquakes that killed over 50,000 people in both countries.

In the wake of the disaster, Egypt sent tons of relief aid to both Turkey and Syria.

In March 2023, then- Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu visited Egypt for the first time since relations soured.

Amid the ongoing crisis in Gaza, Sisi and Erdogan made a phone call in October to review the ongoing efforts to unite international efforts to seek a ceasefire and de-escalation in Gaza.

Turkish Minister of Health Fahrettin Koca also visited Cairo in November to coordinate efforts of treating people evacuated from Gaza.

Both countries have collaborated on delivering aid to Gaza with Turkey sending hundreds of tons of aid to the war-ravaged strip. Moreover, Turkey dispatched doctors to provide medical services to the injured in Egypt’s Al-Arish hospitals receiving Gaza patients and injured Palestinians.

Strong trade relations

Meanwhile, trade between the two countries reached approximately $5.875 billion in 2023, according to data from the Egyptian Ministry of Trade and Industry.

The Egyptian commodity exports to Turkey witnessed a significant increase by 28 percent, reaching $2.934 billion compared to around $2.288 billion during the same period in 2022, according to the ministry.

Turkey has become the largest recipient of Egyptian exports in 2023 and one of Egypt's most important trading partners, the ministry noted.

The most prominent Egyptian exports to the Turkish market in 2023 included chemical and fertilizer products, construction materials, textiles and garments, engineering and electronic goods, and agricultural crops.

On the other side, commodity imports from Turkey recorded a significant decline by 17.68 percent in 2023, reaching $2,941 billion, compared to about $3,573 billion during the same period in 2022.

The trade balance deficit between the two countries reached $7 million in 2023, compared to about $1.285 billion in 2022, said the ministry.