By Dr. Mohamed ELDoh
Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan touched down in Cairo on February 14 as part of a major state visit intended to address movement toward normalization of relations between Egypt and Turkey, as well as the expansion of bilateral relations on multiple fronts. Erdogan’s visit to Egypt is significant for several reasons, including the fact that it is his first in almost a decade. It also coincides with several regional and global developments that call for the two nations to coordinate their positions given their relative regional and geopolitical weight. Finally, there are numerous strategic interests that bind the two nations together at all strategic levels, both geopolitically and economically.
A nascent trend toward rapprochement has been evident over the past three years, and the tangible outcomes have been demonstrated on multiple occasions, such as when both nations announced on July 4, 2023, that they would be elevating their diplomatic relations to ambassadorial status. Additionally, direct talks between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi took place on September 10, 2023, on the sidelines of the G20 summit in New Delhi, and ultimately resulted in the Turkish President’s current visit to Cairo.
According to a pattern of foreign policy that transcends differences in dealing with humanitarian crises and disasters, disaster diplomacy is believed to have given Egyptian-Turkish relations a boost in recent months. This was exemplified by President El-Sisi’s call to President Erdogan following the earthquake on February 9, 2023, in which he expressed solidarity with the Turkish government and people. Subsequently, in the wake of the earthquake, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry visited the Turkish city of Mersin in February 2023 to show his support and sympathy. In March 2023, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu made a follow-up trip to Cairo.
It has taken time for Egypt and Turkey to mend their damaged relations. In this, Turkish messaging has been key. Notable is a March 2021 move by late Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, who declared that talks were still open between the two nations despite prior political disagreements. A few months later, a plan to create a legislative “friendship” group was accepted by the Turkish Parliament. After that, to........