Egyptian President Visits Türkiye for First Time in 12 Years Amid Regional Turmoil

For nearly a decade, relations between two regional heavyweights remained all but frozen. The last time an Egyptian president had visited Turkiye more than a decade ago, the region was a different place. But now with the war in Gaza nearing its one year mark, and key parts of Africa seeing seismic shifts, the stakes were too high for Turkiye and Egypt to ignore. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi met his Turkish counterpart in Ankara on Wednesday, the first visit by an Egyptian leader in 12 years. Apart from Gaza, the two leaders also discussed tensions in the energy rich eastern Mediterranean, the conflicts in Libya and Syria, and the volatile situation in the Horn of Africa. After their one-on-one meeting, the two leaders oversaw the signing of 17 agreements, covering everything from defence co-operation to energy. Ankara and Cairo have seen their relations rapidly improve over the past year, following Egypt's aid assistance during the Feb 6th earthquakes, and President Erdogan's landmark visit to Egypt earlier this year. Guests: Valeria Giannotta CeSPI Scientific Director of the Observatory Ugur Yasin Asal Associate Professor at Istanbul Commerce University