Ahmad 
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will discuss with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi the Middle East files in Cairo, in his first visit in more than 11 years, at the invitation of Sisi as part of the continued rapprochement between the two countries.
This visit comes after diplomatic and political efforts at the highest level between the two countries over the past years, which culminated in the return of normalization of relations between the two countries and a rapprochement between the two sides to face common challenges.
Erdogan will discuss with Sisi in Cairo steps that can be taken to improve bilateral relations and activate high-level bilateral cooperation mechanisms, in addition to discussing current global and regional issues, especially the Israeli war in the Gaza Strip.
Erdoğan’s last visit to Cairo during his tenure as prime minister was in November 2012.
After upgrading diplomatic relations between Ankara and Cairo and exchanging ambassadors, it was reported that Sisi would visit Turkey in July 2023, but the Egyptian president did not make that visit.
The Egyptian and Turkish foreign ministries last year upgraded diplomatic representation between the two countries to ambassadorial level to restore normalcy after being severed since 2013 following the overthrow of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.
The relationship has worsened to the point of complete estrangement due to thorny files in which the interests of the two countries have sharply intersected.
The Libyan file was at the forefront of contentious issues, as the Turkish military presence in Libya raised Egypt’s concerns about the link between its national security and the stability of the situation in Libya.
Tension over Libya reached its peak in June 2020, when Turkish-backed western Libya threatened to march towards the city of Sirte, at which point Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi declared the Sirte-Jufra line a red line that Egypt would not accept to cross.
In the economic field, another dispute has arisen related to the oil and gas file in the Mediterranean, and the two countries are seeking their share of those resources.