Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will travel to Egypt on August 9 for a high-profile diplomatic visit that will include a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al Sisi, Turkish diplomatic sources say.
The trip comes as two nations mark 100 years of diplomatic relations and is Fidan’s second visit to Cairo this year, following his participation in the March 23 meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Arab League Contact Group on Gaza.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty had earlier paid a bilateral visit to Türkiye on February 4, and the two ministers last met in June during the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers’ 51st Session in Istanbul.
Gaza crisis high on agenda
Discussions in Cairo will focus on bilateral ties, regional developments, and strengthening multidimensional cooperation between the two countries.
Gaza is expected to dominate the talks, with both sides set to exchange views on ceasefire negotiations between Hamas and Israel mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States, as well as coordinate efforts to ensure the uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian aid.
Fidan is also expected to stress that Israel’s actions are undermining the two-state solution and its recent steps toward annexing Gaza are the biggest obstacles to regional peace and stability.
The ministers will review the outcomes of the International Conference on Palestine, held in New York from July 28 to 30 with Türkiye’s participation, and discuss cooperation in supporting Gaza’s reconstruction — an initiative Türkiye had backed during an OIC meeting in Jeddah earlier this year.
Regional and bilateral priorities
Talks will also cover developments in Libya, Sudan, Somalia, and other parts of North and East Africa and the Sahel region, exploring ways the two countries can jointly contribute to regional stability.
Bilateral relations between Türkiye and Egypt have gained momentum in recent years through frequent contacts and reciprocal visits.
This year marks the centenary of the establishment of diplomatic ties, with the next High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council meeting scheduled for 2026 under the co-chairmanship of Presidents Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President al Sisi. The inaugural meeting was held in Ankara in September 2024.
Egypt remains Türkiye’s largest trade partner in Africa, with bilateral trade reaching $8.8 billion in 2024. Both sides aim to raise the figure to $15 billion in the coming years. Turkish investments in Egypt are valued at around $3.5 billion.
The visit comes at a time of renewed diplomatic engagement between Ankara and Cairo, with the Gaza crisis acting as a central pillar for their cooperation.
