2024-02-13 08:17:39
At the height of tension that the region is going through, with the Israeli army preparing to storm the Palestinian city of Rafah, and the Egyptian army mobilizing to prevent the displacement of Palestinians, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrives in Egypt, on Wednesday, on a visit that discusses cooperation in defusing several crises.
This is Erdogan’s first visit to Egypt since his visit as Prime Minister in 2012, which comes after the rapprochement and recent raising of the level of diplomatic representation between the two countries to discuss improving bilateral relations and developments in issues of common concern, especially the war in Gaza.
4 files
Ambassador Mohamed Hegazy, the former Egyptian Assistant Foreign Minister, and Osman Faruk Logoglu, the former Turkish ambassador to Washington, agreed during their statements to Sky News Arabia that the two presidents’ discussions will focus on 4 main files:
• The regional and geopolitical file, which deals with developments in the Gaza war, the Egyptian-Turkish position in support of the Palestinians and rejecting the displacement of the population of the Gaza Strip, and efforts to end the war.
• The security and military file, relating to cooperation between the two countries in this field, details of joint manufacturing, and studying the sale of Turkish drones to Egypt.
• The economic file, which discusses the development of trade exchange, which rose to $7.7 billion in 2022, compared to $6.7 billion in 2021, an increase of 14%.
• Outstanding issues, including the Libya file and the gas exploration file in the eastern Mediterranean, and the two presidents will discuss ways to bridge viewpoints on them.
Convergence backgrounds
Ambassador Mohamed Hegazy attributes the Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement steps, despite the differences in views on some files, to the fact that the current developments in the region “necessitate the major countries in it, Egypt, Turkey, Iran, and Saudi Arabia, to discuss reaching a consensus.”
He gives, for example, the issue of Libya, which has been suffering from chaos since 2011. The recent rapprochement between the two countries may indicate a breakthrough that will result in the formation of a unified government in Libya, and the holding of presidential and parliamentary elections on constitutional foundations.
As for military cooperation, the former diplomat points out that a memorandum of understanding on cooperation and joint manufacturing between the two countries was signed in 2013.
Changes in the region
Ambassador Osman Faruklogoğlu describes Erdogan’s visit to Egypt as “an indicator of the improvement of relations that witnessed a period of deterioration that lasted from 2013-2021, and it comes at a very sensitive time, as the region is witnessing major changes on the one hand, and the war on Gaza on the other hand.”
Regarding the rapprochement between Cairo and Ankara, Logoglu says, “Cooperation will contribute to resolving many crises, most notably the Libyan crisis, and defusing tension in the Mediterranean, in addition to developing cooperation on issues where there is a convergence of views, including the Sudan crisis and the Somali crisis, which both countries affirm their commitment to.” His unity and sovereignty.”
Regarding the military file, Logoglu says: “It can develop significantly in the future, as Egypt can benefit from drone technology in which Turkey has become one of the world’s leading countries, most notably the Bayraktar drone, which has proven high combat efficiency in Ukraine, Azerbaijan and others, and Ankara can also.” “Benefiting from Egyptian tank manufacturing technology and some other military industries of common interest, this integration may lead to a boom in arms industries.”
new page
Since 2021, the rapprochement between the governments of Egypt and Turkey has gone through several gradual stages, including:
• A handshake took place between Sisi and Erdogan after years of estrangement in November 2022 during the opening of the Football World Cup in Qatar.
• Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry visited Türkiye in February 2023; For the first time since 2013; To provide support after it was struck by the February 6 earthquake.
• Turkey’s Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, returns the visit and heads to Cairo in March of the same year.
• Sisi and Erdogan agreed, during a phone call in May 2023, to “upgrade diplomatic relations” and exchange ambassadors, and this took place in July of the same year.
• They held a meeting during the G20 Summit in the Indian capital, New Delhi, in September 2023.
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