Sisi and Erdogan Discuss Gaza Ceasefire in Landmark Meeting

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, the first such presidential visit in 12 years, to discuss the crisis in Gaza, Libya and Somalia.

The two leaders exchanged handshakes and participated in a photo-op before sitting down for a press conference where Sisi spoke of the "unity in Egypt and Turkey’s position" calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Turkey, which has condemned Israel for its war against Hamas militants that has devastated Gaza, has sent thousands of tonnes of aid to Egypt for Palestinians and praised Cairo's humanitarian efforts and role as negotiator in Gaza truce talks.

"From this viewpoint, I discussed with President Erdogan ways to liaise and work together to contribute in thwarting regional crises led by dealing with the humanitarian crisis that our Palestinian brothers in Gaza are facing, in an unprecedented catastrophe that has been going on for almost a year. Where it is important to highlight the unity in Egypt and Turkey’s position regarding the demand for an immediate ceasefire and our refusal of the current Israeli escalation in the West Bank," Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said.

Erdogan had traveled to Cairo in February, his first trip to Egypt since 2012, taking a major step toward rebuilding ties that were severely strained for a decade.

Relations between Ankara and Cairo collapsed in 2013 after Egypt's then-army chief Sisi led the ouster of the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Mursi, a Turkish ally who had become Egypt's first democratically elected president the year before. Mursi visited Turkey as president in 2012.

Ties between the two countries began thawing in 2020 when Ankara launched a diplomatic charm offensive to ease tensions with its estranged regional rivals, including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.