Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan due in Egypt Sunday for 2-day visit

By Seda Sevencan

ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan is set to start a two-day visit to Egypt on Sunday at the invitation of his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty, according to diplomatic sources.

Relations between Ankara and Cairo have recently seen significant progress. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's official visit to Egypt on Feb. 14, the first visit at that level in a dozen years, marked a milestone in bilateral ties.

During that visit, a joint declaration was signed on a High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council meeting co-chaired by the countries’ presidents.

Last month, Badr Abdelatty was appointed Egypt’s foreign minister in a newly formed government. The upcoming visit will mark Fidan's first official meeting with his Egyptian counterpart.

During their meeting, Fidan and Abdelatty will discuss preparations for the first High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council meeting, set to take place during Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi's upcoming visit to Türkiye.

They will also evaluate the current status of nearly 20 agreements expected to be signed during the meeting.

The discussions will cover bilateral political, economic, and cultural relations, as well as current regional developments. Long-term cooperation opportunities in energy, health, tourism, and the defense industry will also be discussed.

The primary topics of this visit include developments in Gaza, the Palestinian issue, humanitarian aid to Gaza, and rising regional tensions. Additionally, developments in Libya, Sudan, and Somalia will be evaluated.

Fidan is expected to visit Al-Arish and the Rafah border crossing into the Gaza Strip and inspect an Egyptian Red Crescent logistics center which handles humanitarian aid shipments from Türkiye to Gaza.