Egypt's el-Sissi to visit Türkiye upon Erdoğan's invitation
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan shakes hands with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi (L) during their meeting at the opening ceremony of the World Cup in Doha, Qatar, Nov. 20, 2022. (EPA File Photo)


President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan invited Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi to visit Türkiye soon, Ambassador Salih Mutlu Şen, who currently serves as Türkiye’s charge d'affaires in Cairo, said.

Erdoğan invited his Egyptian counterpart when he called him to congratulate him on his election victory, broadcaster NTV reported, citing diplomatic sources.

The Egyptian president welcomed the invitation, the broadcaster reported, adding that el-Sissi might visit Ankara shortly after the Qurban Bayram, also known as Eid al-Adha, holidays, which start on June 28.

Meanwhile, Şen also told Russia Today Arabic that Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan may visit Egypt in the next three months. He added that Fidan played a significant role in reviving strained relations between the two countries.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is also expected to visit Türkiye soon upon the invitation of President Erdoğan, his adviser Yuri Ushakov told reporters on Thursday.

Diplomatic relations between Türkiye and Egypt have been maintained at the level of charge d'affaires on both sides since Egypt's 2013 military coup, which overthrew the late President Mohammed Morsi.

Relations have mainly been stable except for short periods of suspension in the 1960s, but they reached new heights when Morsi was elected president in 2012. After Morsi was toppled, Türkiye maintained contact with Cairo before downgrading diplomatic relations in 2013, while economic ties remained largely unharmed.

El-Sissi was among the leaders who called Erdoğan after the Feb. 6 earthquakes in Türkiye’s southeast dubbed the "disaster of the century" and Cairo sent humanitarian aid to the country after the disaster. Egypt's foreign minister also made a visit for the delivery of assistance in the aftermath of the earthquakes and a reciprocal visit to Egypt was made soon after by the Turkish foreign minister.