18 June 2023; MEMO: Egypt's President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi is to embark on an official visit to Turkiye following an invitation by his Turkish counterpart and recently re-elected President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
News of Sisi's visit was disclosed by Ambassador Salih Mutlu Sen, who currently serves as Ankara's charge d'affaires in Cairo, Daily Sabah reported on Friday.
According to diplomatic sources, cited by broadcaster NTV, Erdogan extended the invitation to Sisi after the latter called him to congratulate him on his election victory. The Egyptian president is said to have welcomed the invitation, and may visit Ankara shortly after Eid Al-Adha, which starts on 28 June.
The latest diplomatic developments between the two countries follows an agreement to upgrade relations late last month by exchanging ambassadors, following years of strained ties, since Egypt's 2013 Saudi and UAE-backed military coup, which overthrew the late President Mohamed Morsi, who was a close political and ideological ally of Erdogan.
Since the democratically-elected Morsi government was overthrown, diplomatic relations between Ankara and Cairo have been mutually maintained at the level of charge d'affaires.
Back-door diplomacy between the two countries gained traction in November of last year, after Sisi and Erdogan met and shook hands at the sidelines of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
