Türkiye emphasized that strengthening defense and security cooperation with Egypt, based on mutual trust and shared interests, would help advance peace and reinforce regional stability and security. The Turkish Defense Ministry said a letter of intent on defense cooperation, signed during Egyptian Minister of Defense and Military Production Ashraf Salem Zaher’s visit to Ankara on Monday, reflected both countries’ determination to place their defense and security partnership on an institutional footing. Ministry spokesman Zeki Akturk said on Thursday the document also reflected a strong desire to deepen ties rooted in history, while opening new areas of cooperation that could support peace, stability and security across the region. Türkiye and Egypt share a strong legacy shaped by deep historical and cultural ties, Akturk said, adding that recent high-level visits had given military cooperation fresh momentum. Cooperation expands Akturk said contacts between military delegations had expanded as the two sides sought to deepen defense and security dialogue. He said concrete steps had also been taken in military training, joint operations and defense industries. Zaher’s visit, his first since taking office in February, was the first by an Egyptian defense minister since President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi visited Türkiye on May 8, 2013, while serving as defense minister. It followed a late-April 2024 visit to Ankara by former Egyptian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Osama Askar, the first senior Egyptian military official to travel to Türkiye after relations began a gradual return to normal following years of tension and stagnation since the fall of Muslim Brotherhood rule in Egypt in 2013. Egypt’s current Armed Forces Chief of Staff, Ahmed Khalifa, made an official visit to Türkiye on May 8, 2025, when the two countries held their first high-level military dialogue. They agreed to hold the dialogue annually at the level of the two chiefs of staff. The talks focused on strengthening military cooperation, particularly in training and the exchange of expertise. Egypt and Türkiye later signed a military cooperation agreement during Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Cairo on Feb. 4. The visit also included the second meeting of the Strategic Cooperation Council, following its first session in Ankara during Sisi’s visit on Sept. 4, 2024. Akturk also cited exercises held in June, first in Egypt and then in Türkiye, with participation by the air force. He said they had significantly improved interoperability between the two armed forces, strengthened their joint operational capabilities, and expanded the exchange of expertise. Talks in Ankara on Monday between Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler and Zaher covered bilateral defense and security issues, as well as ways to deepen cooperation, Akturk said. The two sides signed the letter of intent at the end of the meeting. Defense industry push Zaher and his delegation also met Haluk Gorgun, head of Türkiye’s Defense Industries Agency, to discuss defense industry cooperation and the development of joint capabilities. A letter of intent was signed during the meeting. Zaher also visited Turkish defense electronics company Aselsan, where Chief Executive Ahmet Akyol received him. The two sides discussed the company’s office in Egypt and new opportunities for defense industry cooperation. The Egyptian delegation also visited the Ozdemir Bayraktar National Technology Center, where it was briefed on Turkish drone manufacturing technology during a meeting with Selcuk Bayraktar, chairman of Baykar, maker of the Bayraktar drone. Turkish sources told some media outlets that Ankara had presented plans for joint production and technology transfers covering unmanned ground and aerial systems, armored combat vehicles, warships, naval platforms, electronic warfare technology and ammunition of various calibers. The sources said the most significant step in the aviation talks was Egypt’s agreement to join Türkiye’s fifth-generation KAAN fighter jet production program. They also said the two countries had made notable progress on plans for a local production line in Egypt for Bayraktar TB2 drones. The project would aim to meet the needs of Egypt’s armed forces and turn the country into a regional production hub serving global export markets, particularly in Africa, the sources said. Strategic ties Egypt’s ambassador to Ankara, Wael Badawi, said the strategic partnership between Egypt and Türkiye rested on longstanding historical, cultural, commercial and humanitarian ties. Speaking at a ceremony in Ankara on Tuesday marking Egypt’s national day and the anniversary of the July 23, 1952 revolution, Badawi said cooperation spanned several strategic sectors. These included defense and military industries, construction, tourism, healthcare, transport, energy, mining, and air and maritime links. Badawi said Egypt and Türkiye would continue to coordinate on regional and international issues, with the Palestinian issue leading the way, while supporting efforts to end the war in Iran and strengthen regional stability. The deepening military relationship has stirred concern among some parties, particularly Israel and Greece. Greek newspaper Kathimerini reflected those concerns, saying the recent growth in Turkish-Egyptian defense ties was causing unease in Greece. In a report titled “Türkiye and Egypt Draw Closer on Defense,” the newspaper examined Zaher’s talks with the head of Türkiye’s Defense Industries Agency and the letter of intent signed at the close of the meeting. It said the document could lay the groundwork for broader defense industry cooperation between the two countries. The report also highlighted Zaher’s meetings in Türkiye, noting that Egypt was seeking to become a center for drone production, a leading export of Türkiye’s defense industry. Kathimerini said the rapprochement did not currently pose a direct threat to Greek interests, but added to concerns at a time of shifting geopolitical balances across the region.
