Turkey’s Erdogan in Egypt, holds first meeting with Sisi after Assad's fall

ANKARA — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met on Thursday to discuss Syria, Gaza and bilateral relations in their first meeting since the fall of the Syrian regime.

During their meeting on the sidelines of the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation summit in Cairo, Erdogan pledged continued Turkish support for Syrian unity and the country's reconstruction after 13 years of civil war. Unlike Turkey, the main backer of the Syrian rebels who ousted Bashar al-Assad from power on Dec. 8, the Egyptian government has long-favored Assad over the Islamist-leaning opposition. Assad's fall has raised concerns in Cairo about a potential resurgence of the Muslim Brotherhood, which was removed from power in 2013. 

According to the Turkish statement on the meeting, "President Erdogan stated that the Syrian people have paid a heavy price for the past 13 years, emphasizing that Syrians will determine their own future."

“He highlighted the importance of Syria's political unity and territorial integrity and reaffirmed Turkey's continued support for Syria's reconstruction and internal reconciliation,” read the statement. 

On Gaza, Erdogan urged enhanced coordination between the two nations to guarantee the seamless delivery of humanitarian aid, stressing the critical need for an immediate, permanent, and sustainable ceasefire.

This marked Erdogan’s second trip to Egypt this year, following his historic visit in February, which ended more than a decade of strained relations stemming from the countries’ opposing views on the Muslim Brotherhood.

After Sisi's ousting of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood-led government, Erdogan declared he would never shake hands with him, labeling him a "brutal killer."

However, the last two years saw a thaw in relations between Cairo and Ankara. The two countries exchanged ambassadors in July 2023, and Sisi paid his first-ever visit to Turkey in September. More recently, the two leaders held face-to-face talks in November on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Brazil. 

Sisi and Erdogan also discussed deepening bilateral ties in their meeting on Thursday, with Erdogan reiterating the mutual goal of increasing the two countries’ mutual trade volume to $15 billion from the current $10 billion. 

In addition to Sisi, Erdogan also met with his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, on the sidelines of the summit. 

The meeting marked the first between the two leaders since the fall of the Iranian- and Russian-backed Syrian regime, after a lightning offensive by a coalition of Syrian rebel groups, including the Syrian National Army, which is backed by Turkey.

"Syria’s stabilization would serve the stability and security of the entire region, and … Syria’s rapid recovery could only be achieved with the contribution of all regional and international actors," Erdogan told Pezeshkian during the meeting, according to a statement by the Turkish Presidency.

This article has been updated since its initial publication to include Erdogan’s meeting with Pezeshkian.