Turkey’s Erdogan visits Egypt as ties are back in full swing after a decade of tensions

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Edrogan is in Cairo for talks with his Egyptian counterpart to rally support for growing demands that Israel halt its war in the Gaza Strip against Hamas militants

CAIRO -- Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Edrogan was in Cairo on Wednesday for talks with his Egyptian counterpart to rally support for growing demands that Israel halt its war in the Gaza Strip against Hamas.

Erdogan's visit comes as ties between Ankara and Cairo are back on track after years of tensions and frosty relations. Turkey has long been a backer of the pan-Islamist Muslim Brotherhood group, which has been outlawed as a terrorist organization in Egypt.

The Turkish leader arrived in the Egyptian capital after visiting on Tuesday the United Arab Emirates, where he met with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Erdogan met with President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi at Cairo’s Ittihadiya palace, according to Egypt’s state-run media. The Egyptian presidency said they talks would focus on bilateral relations and regional challenges, especially efforts to stop the war in Gaza.

Erdogan's visit to Cairo is his first in over a decade. Egypt and Turkey fell out after the Egyptian military in 2013 ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, who hailed from the Muslim Brotherhood, amid mass protest against his divisive one year of rule.