Turkey's Erdogan to visit Cairo with Syria high on agenda

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set to meet Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Cairo with talks focused on Syria, as Egypt turns to Ankara to allay concerns about Syria’s new government.

Erdogan will attend a summit of developing nations, called the D-8, in the Egyptian capital on 19 December, one Egyptian official told Middle East Eye on Friday.

Egypt initially extended the invitation to Erdogan before the government of Bashar al-Assad was toppled in an offensive led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a Turkish official confirmed to MEE on Friday.

Since then, Egyptian officials have looked to secure Erdogan’s visit as Sisi seeks direct talks with the Turkish leader on Syria, the Egyptian official said.

The visit underscores how Erdogan’s regional influence has expanded with the Assad government gone and Syrian rebels establishing a transitional government in Damascus.

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