Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan witnessed the signing of several agreements and memoranda of understanding between the two countries. During a press conference, El-Sisi stated, "I agreed with Erdoğan on the necessity of a ceasefire in Gaza and a calm in the West Bank." He added, "We are opening a new chapter with Turkey between our countries, which enriches our bilateral relations and puts them on the right path. We also aim to increase trade exchange with Ankara to $15 billion in the coming years."
Erdoğan, for his part, noted that "the cleansing of the Gaza Strip of its inhabitants cannot be accepted, and we appreciate Egypt's position on this issue." He said, "Ankara is ready to work with Cairo on the reconstruction of Gaza and pledged to increase trade with Egypt to $15 billion in the short term." He added that "initiatives for the displacement of Gaza's residents are out of the question for us, and Gaza cannot be completely cleansed of its population. We value Egypt's stance on this matter, while Netanyahu's administration continues its massacres and must stop exporting its atrocities to Rafah. The international community must not allow such insane behavior."
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan arrived in Cairo on Wednesday, marking his first visit to Egypt since 2012, where he met with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in a significant step towards rebuilding relations between the two regional powers. El-Sisi and his wife welcomed Erdoğan at the airport. Erdoğan had stated that "discussions will focus on the Israeli campaign in the Gaza Strip." Relations between the two countries soured following the military coup in Egypt in 2013 and its repercussions on the Muslim Brotherhood. During a phone call made by El-Sisi to Erdoğan last May to congratulate him on his victory in the Turkish presidential elections, they agreed to "immediately start upgrading diplomatic relations between the two countries and exchanging ambassadors," according to a statement from the Egyptian presidency. The two countries exchanged the appointment of ambassadors last year, and Turkey announced this month that it would provide Egypt with armed drones.
