Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi welcomed reconciliation efforts between Turkey and the Syrian regime during a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

After signing a bilateral agreement between Egypt and Turkey during al-Sisi’s visit to Turkey, the presidents held a joint press conference following bilateral talks on Wednesday, September 4.

Al-Sisi, while reviewing the topics discussed by both sides, said, “We discussed the situation in Syria and affirmed our aspiration for a resolution to that crisis, which has unprecedentedly affected the Syrian people.”

He continued, “I welcome the reconciliation efforts between Syria and Turkey, as our ultimate goal is to achieve a political solution and alleviate the suffering of the Syrian brotherly people, according to the UN Security Council resolutions on this matter, while preserving the unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of the Syrian state and eliminating terrorism.”

For his part, the Turkish president pointed out that his discussions with the Egyptian president included, besides the situation in Gaza, issues in the Eastern Mediterranean, Syria, Libya, Sudan, the Horn of Africa, and other regional matters, noting the similarities in positions with Egypt on many issues.

Al-Sisi’s statements come as Ankara-Damascus reconciliation efforts are accelerating, with Russian and Turkish statements to that effect. Al-Watan, a local newspaper, reported on Tuesday that a quadripartite meeting involving Russia, Turkey, Iran, and the Syrian regime is expected to be held at the end of September to normalize relations between Turkey and the regime.

This is not the first time al-Sisi has welcomed Turkish rapprochement with the regime, as Egypt welcomed these efforts last August when its Foreign Minister, Badr Abdelatty, welcomed Turkish statements about their readiness to work on resolving disputes with Syria, preserving Syria’s unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, and enabling its institutions to confront the “threats of terrorism and to eliminate this danger that poses a threat to regional stability.”

In a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, who visited Cairo on August 5, Abdelatty reaffirmed Egypt’s support for all efforts to reach a comprehensive settlement of the Syrian crisis according to international references, foremost among them being the UN Security Council Resolution 2254, to restore the desired stability to Syria, end all forms of external intervention in its affairs, and alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people.

Al-Sisi’s current visit to Turkey is his first since coming to power in 2014 after a military coup that ousted former president Mohamed Morsi.

Last February, Erdoğan visited Egypt for the first time since al-Sisi assumed power, and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan visited Egypt last August.

In September 2023, the Turkish president met with his Egyptian counterpart during the 18th G20 Summit held in the Indian capital, New Delhi. This was the first official meeting between the two presidents after they met on the sidelines of the Qatar World Cup opening in 2022.