Turkish president arrives in Egypt to participate in Gaza peace summit

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt / ANKARA

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Egypt on Monday to attend a planned peace summit in the Red Sea city of Sharm el-Sheikh.

He was welcomed at the airport by Egypt’s Culture Minister Ahmed Fouad Hanno, Youth and Sports Minister Ashraf Sobhy, Türkiye’s Ambassador to Cairo Salih Mutlu Sen, and embassy staff.

Accompanying Erdogan were Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, National Intelligence Organization (MIT) head Ibrahim Kalin, Communications Director Burhanettin Duran, and Chief Foreign Policy and Security Advisor Akif Cagatay Kilic.

Erdogan, who arrived in Sharm el-Sheikh at the invitation of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and US President Donald Trump, then proceeded with his delegation to the International Convention Center, where the summit will be held to discuss the ceasefire agreement reached in Gaza.

The Turkish president is expected to attend the signing ceremony of the Sharm el-Sheikh Agreement and hold consultations with leaders from participating countries during the summit.

More than 20 world leaders are expected to attend the Sharm el-Sheikh summit, which will be co-chaired by Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

Egypt said the summit aims “to end the war in the Gaza Strip, enhance efforts to bring peace and stability to the Middle East, and usher in a new phase of regional security and stability.”

The first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement took effect on Friday under Trump’s plan to end a two-year Israeli war on the enclave.

Since October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed more than 67,800 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them women and children, leaving the enclave largely uninhabitable.