Recent high-level contacts and interactions between Türkiye and Egypt have served as a catalyst for improving bilateral relations and multidimensional cooperation, with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's visit also reflecting Ankara's willingness to reinforce and balance the diplomatic relationships, according to experts.
Erdoğan is visiting Saudi Arabia on Tuesday and Egypt on Wednesday to discuss deepening bilateral ties alongside regional and global developments, according to his communications office.
In Riyadh, the president is scheduled to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to review steps for deepening diplomatic and economic links, the office said. On Wednesday, he will travel to Cairo to co-chair the second meeting of the high-level strategic cooperation council with Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and talks "with particular regard to Palestine," said Erdoğan's office.
Erdoğan is also slated to attend a business forum while in the Egyptian capital.
"President Erdoğan is expected to meet Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi following his Saudi Arabia stop, which reflects the role of Türkiye to reinforce and balance the diplomatic relationships with key Arab countries," said Nourhan el-Bayya, an assistant professor at Istanbul Aydın University.
El-Bayya conveyed expectations that, in addition to discussing bilateral concerns, opinions on regional and global developments, with a special emphasis and focus on Palestine, will be shared.
"Since both Egypt and Türkiye are board members of Trump's 'Board of Peace' and worked alongside Qatar as mediators to reach the current cease-fire agreement in Gaza, the first topic expected to be discussed will be the Gaza issue, the ongoing conflict, and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza," she said in a response to Daily Sabah's query.
"Additional to that, the U.S.-Iran issue will expected to be discussed," she added.
"This visit is deepening the rapprochement in Ankara-Cairo ties," el-Bayya noted.
Eyes on higher trade
As the visit includes the business summit, it is also expected to contribute to the establishment of new partnerships in various fields and the opening of investment opportunities between the two countries.
Erdoğan visited Egypt in early 2024 and his counterpart el-Sissi was in Ankara later that year.
"Today's visit and President Erdoğan's previous visit to Cairo reflect the will to initiate a new friendship and cooperation between the two countries," el-Sissi said at the time.
The relations between the duo took off after nearly a decade of strained ties amid the ouster of former Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi.
However, amid the improvement in ties, the two countries have reaffirmed their determination to advance cooperation in various fields, from trade, energy to tourism. During el-Sissi's Ankara visit, more than a dozen memoranda were signed.
The common goal is to increase trade volume to $15 billion in the upcoming years.
Currently, the trade volume is at the level of $9 billion to $10 billion, according to Mustafa Denizer, the president of the Türkiye-Egypt Business Council of the Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK).
Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), Denizer said that the process is "progressing positively," toward the $15 billion trade goal, drawing attention to the interest in Turkish goods and perception of their quality in Egypt.
"Many new investments are being made both for the Egyptian domestic market and for export, and investments are still ongoing. New investments totaling approximately $500 million are projected across various sectors over the next two-three years," he said.
Another dimension of relations is also energy, and the two countries, which have extensive coastlines in the Mediterranean, have great potential for developing cooperation in hydrocarbon exploration and production in offshore fields.
Common position, defense cooperation
"Relations between Türkiye and Egypt are currently experiencing a golden age," said Ismail Numan Telci, a professor in the Department of International Relations at Sakarya University.
"This is evident in many areas, from foreign policy and the economy to military cooperation and social interactions. The likelihood of these interactions transforming into a strategic alliance between the two countries is steadily increasing," Telci told Daily Sabah.
Furthermore, he expressed that Ankara and Cairo share common positions on many regional issues, while also reiterating that "it can be said that one of the main topics of President Erdoğan's visit will be the post-cease-fire process in Gaza and the joint steps that can be taken in the reconstruction of the region."
Erdoğan and el-Sissi both signed the declaration of intent to end the Gaza war at the "Sharm El-Sheikh Summit for Peace," held in Egypt in October 2025 and attended by U.S. President Donald Trump.
"The increasing cooperation in the defense industry between Türkiye and Egypt is also prominent in the context of bilateral relations," Telci argued.
"In fact, following recent agreements, Turkish and Egyptian defense companies have begun joint production. Military cooperation continues along the same lines. The Türkiye-Egypt Friendship Sea exercise, held in the Mediterranean after a 13-year hiatus, is of symbolic importance in this regard," he suggested.
"Therefore, increasing defense cooperation will be on the agenda for the two leaders," he added.
On the commercial side, Telci also highlighted that the trade volume between the two countries "has reached its highest level in history, at $8.8 billion."
"The goal is to increase this figure to $15 billion by 2028. In this sense, great efforts are being made to remove all obstacles that could slow down trade between the two countries."