Türkiye and Egypt signed a letter of intent to establish a framework for closer cooperation in the defense industry, Turkish Defense Industry Chief Haluk Gorgun said last week.
Gorgun, the Secretary of Turkish Defense Industries, hosted Egyptian Defense and Military Production Minister Lt. General Ashraf Salem Zaher and his delegation in the capital Ankara. Zaher is also Commander-in-Chief of the Egyptian Armed Forces.
The two sides discussed defense industry cooperation opportunities and possible areas for joint capability development, Gorgun said in a statement on US social media platform X. “In this context, we signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) that will define the framework of our cooperation in the period ahead,” Anadolu Agency (AA) reported.
Gorgun added that deeper defense industry cooperation between Türkiye and Egypt would contribute to regional security and strengthen the capabilities of both countries. He also thanked Zaher and the Egyptian delegation for what he described as productive discussions.
Earlier in the day, Turkish National Defense Minister Yasar Guler met Zaher who 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 National Defense 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.
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 February 4.
The visit also included the second meeting of the Strategic Cooperation Council, following its first session in Ankara during Sisi’s visit on September 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. (Sources: Anadolu Agency; X; Al Sharq Al Awsat)
