Erdoğan holds talks with al-Sissi in Cairo amid thaw in relations

Egypt and Turkey said they plan to increase bilateral trade, as the two presidents on Wednesday expressed their alignment on regional developments following more than a decade of diplomatic strain.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan arrived in Egypt, on his first visit to the North African country in more than 11 years, for talks with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi.

The two expressed their agreement on the need for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and a rapid delivery of humanitarian aid to people in the enclave.

Erdoğan said that Turkey does not accept any attempt at "depopulating" Gaza and supports Egypt in its stance.

Cairo has repeatedly said it rejects forced displacement of Palestinians outside Gaza, saying it would undermine the Palestinian cause.

Erdoğan also urged the international community to not allow the "madness" that will result in "genocide," as he referred to an Israeli attack on Rafah, located in the very south of the Gaza Strip on the Egyptian border.

Rafah is currently home to some 1.3 million, who have fled attacks in the rest of the Strip.

"We agreed on the importance of immediate ceasefire in the [Gaza] Strip and achieving calm in the West Bank so that the peace process can resume at the earliest chance leading to the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state based on the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital," al-Sissi said in televised remarks alongside Erdoğan.

Al-Sissi also said the two agreed on the importance of "enhancing consultations" on Libya to support holding presidential and parliamentary elections and uniting military establishment in the country.

For years, the two countries supported supported opposing sides in conflict-torn Libya.

Erdoğan extended an invitation to al-Sissi for a visit to Ankara to mark a "turning point" in bilateral ties, which the Egyptian leader said he is looking forward to accepting in April.

The countries plan to increase bilateral trade to $15 billion, they said.

Erdoğan's last visit to Cairo was in November 2012. A year later, relations soured after the Egyptian army, then led by al-Sissi, toppled Egypt's Islamist president at the time, Mohammed Morsi.

Erdoğan's ruling Justice and Development Party was a main backer of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood. In response, Egypt expelled the Turkish ambassador and downgraded ties with Ankara to the level of charge d'affaires.

Last year, Egypt and Turkey appointed new ambassadors after they agreed to upgrade their ties again.