Strengthening Alliances: Turkey and Egypt Prepare to Enhance Military Collaboration
The Turkish Defense Ministry anticipates the growth of military and defense collaborations with Egypt in the near future, highlighting that General Osama Askar, the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, visiting Ankara heralds a new chapter in the bilateral relations between the two nations.
TRT Haber reported, as stated by Turkish Defense Ministry media advisor Zafer Aktok, that “The Egyptian Chief of Staff Askar engaged in discussions with Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and Chief of General Staff Metin Gürak.”
Aktok noted that the Egyptian Chief of Staff also toured various Turkish defense manufacturing facilities during his stay in Ankara.
He remarked, “We foresee an enhancement of relations between our countries shortly.” Previously, the Egyptian military spokesperson Ghrib Abdel Hafiz affirmed that both sides expressed their intention to fortify military cooperation during their discussions.
He further emphasized that they addressed military collaboration, as well as regional and international issues “impacting the national security of both countries, and their aligned perspectives on these matters.”
He elaborated that the Egyptian Chief of Staff toured numerous companies, including Baykar, the developer of Bayraktar drones, and also visited the special operations headquarters of the Turkish military.
It is important to highlight that in February, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made his inaugural visit to Egypt since Abdel Fattah al-Sisi assumed the presidency, where Sisi warmly welcomed the Turkish leader to commence a new era in the relations between the two countries.
The relationship between Egypt and Turkey has been improving since the handshake between Erdogan and Sisi during the FIFA World Cup opening in Qatar in 2022, followed by another meeting at the G20 summit in New Delhi last September, where both parties committed to enhancing ties and collaboration, elevating the diplomatic relationship, and exchanging ambassadors.
Following Erdogan’s visit to Cairo, preparations are underway for an upcoming visit by Sisi to Ankara.
