Progression of Turkish-Egyptian Diplomatic Relations

Policy Briefs Program

March 21, 2023

On Saturday, March 18, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu traveled to Cairo to meet with Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry, among other delegates, marking the first Turkish-Egyptian diplomatic visit since 2012. Relations between the two countries deteriorated in 2013, when then-military commander Abdel Fattah al-Sisi led the coup against Egypt’s former president, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood and an ally of Turkey. 

Since relations were severed in 2013, Turkish-Egyptian engagement and amiability has gradually improved. Profiled in Al Manar, last month, Egyptian FM Sameh Shoukry “visited Turkey in a show of solidarity after  the massive earthquakes that killed more than 50,000 people in Turkey and Syria – the first visit to Turkey by Egypt’s top diplomat since relations soured.”

Saturday’s visit aimed to establish a bilateral dialogue and increase diplomatic engagement. Daily Sabah described the scope of the talks: “Çavuşoğlu said that during his meetings with his Egyptian counterpart, the parties showed a willingness to strengthen relations in areas including energy, trade, transportation, and diplomacy. ‘We want to improve our cooperation in the energy field, we want to take concrete steps…We want to maximize our diplomatic relations,’ he said.”

One particular area of partnership that both countries stressed was renewable energy and liquefied natural gas. Cited in Al Mayadeen, Çavuşoğlu stated: “We want to make a long-term LNG agreement. Because, thanks to our LNG terminals, we are currently exporting gas to southeast European countries and Balkan countries. Therefore, Egyptian gas can be exported to third countries via Türkiye…We decided to expand our cooperation, especially in renewable energy and solar energy.’”

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry highlighted the geopolitical significance of a growing Egyptian-Turkish relationship, especially in the context of evolving trends in regional stability. Written in Egypt Today, Shoukry “explained that the discussions touched on the Palestinian issue and the situation in Syria, Libya and Iraq, as well as the normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran, in addition to the file of combating terrorism and joint cooperation between the two countries in particular.” 

One area of disagreement between the two countries is Libya. Notably, Egypt rejected Turkey’s signing on to many economic measures with Libya and creating progress toward elections. Al-Ahram quoted Çavuşoğlu’s perception of the Libyan disagreement: “‘We will intensify our consultations on [Libya] as well,’ he noted. Turkey’s military presence in Libya is not a threat to Egypt, Çavuşoğlu declared, noting that the ‘most legitimate [foreign] presence in Libya is Turkey’s military presence.’”

Both countries welcomed international support for their talks. Underscored by Anadolu Agency, the United States expressed their approval towards these enhancing relations. On Twitter, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan stated: “‘We welcome today’s visit to Cairo by Turkey’s FM @mevlutcavusoglu for meetings @MFAEgypt with FM Shoukrey, the first such visit in over a decade. An important step towards a more stable and prosperous region.’”

Going forward, diplomatic ties are predicted to expand, and a meeting between both presidents is expected in the future. As conveyed in Al-Arabiya, Çavuşoğlu said that “President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi would meet to mark the end of a decade of estrangement between the two countries…Cavusoglu on Saturday said the meeting between Erdogan and Sisi would take place ‘after the Turkish elections,’ including the presidential vote slated for May 14.”