Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s planned visit to Turkey to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan this week has been postponed, Turkish media reported Thursday, citing Egypt’s Al Ain news website.
Citing a diplomatic source, Al Ain said the meeting was planned to take place in Ankara this week but was delayed due to President el-Sisi’s participation in the Africa-Russia summit in St. Petersburg. The source emphasized the significance of the upcoming meeting for the interests of both countries and the region.
According to Al Ain, the Turkish ambassador to Egypt, Salih Mutlu Şen, said the meeting between President el-Sisi and President Erdoğan would take place soon, although he did not give a specific date for the meeting.
News of the upcoming meeting comes after Egypt and Turkey recently decided to elevate their diplomatic representation to the level of ambassador, signaling the end of a decade-long period of estrangement. The move is aimed at re-establishing normal relations.
Earlier, plans by Egyptian dissidents in Turkey to file a criminal complaint against President el-Sisi were dropped at the last minute, raising speculation about possible Turkish government pressure behind the cancellation. The dissidents, comprising victims and witnesses of alleged human rights abuses during and after the 2013 military coup in Egypt, had intended to demand el-Sisi’s arrest and trial during his visit to Turkey.
The Turkish government’s change in stance towards Egypt has caused concerns among the dissidents seeking justice for the alleged crimes.