Turkey, Egypt expand military ties with cooperation frameworks: What to know
Increasing defense cooperation between Ankara and Cairo comes as Turkey seeks to offset the expanding Greek-Cypriot-Israeli alignment in the Eastern Mediterranean.
ANKARA — Turkey and Egypt on Monday signed letters of intent covering military and defense industry cooperation, marking the latest step in their rapidly developing defense relationship.
Details: The first document was signed by Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler and his Egyptian counterpart, Lt. Gen. Ashraf Salem Zaher, during Zaher’s official visit to Ankara on Monday.
Guler and Zaher also led talks between senior Turkish and Egyptian military delegations, according to the Turkish Defense Ministry.
The talks aimed to “discuss expanding cooperation between the two armed forces across various fields,” according to an Egyptian statement issued ahead of Zaher’s visit.
Turkish and Egyptian authorities have not disclosed whether the document covers arms sales, technology transfers, joint manufacturing, intelligence cooperation or operational coordination.
As part of his visit, Zaher also met with Haluk Gorgun, head of Turkey’s Defense Industry Agency, the country’s main military procurement body. The two signed a separate letter of intent to establish a framework for defense industry cooperation and the joint development of military capabilities.
“I believe that defense industry cooperation between Turkey and Egypt will contribute to regional security and the development of both countries’ capabilities,” Gorgun said on X.
Background: Monday’s talks come amid deepening defense ties between Ankara and Cairo, which have developed since the two countries signed a Military Framework Agreement during Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Egypt in February.
Ahead of Zaher’s visit, Turkish army chief Gen. Selcuk Bayraktaroglu led a senior military delegation to Cairo last month for the fifth meeting of the Egyptian-Turkish Military Cooperation Committee, a mechanism aimed at coordinating joint military activities and the exchange of expertise between the two armed forces.
The two countries have also stepped up joint military training, participating together in at least four bilateral or multinational exercises since September 2025.
They held their first joint naval drill in 13 years in the Eastern Mediterranean in September 2025.
Egyptian and Turkish troops also launched the Golden Eagle 2026 joint military training exercise at the combat training facilities of the Egyptian Airborne and Thunderbolt Commands in Egypt earlier this month.
Why it matters: For Ankara, cooperation with Egypt could help offset the expanding Greek-Cypriot-Israeli alignment in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The three countries have been expanding their defense cooperation in the region since signing a joint defense action plan in Nicosia in December. The Israeli and Greek air forces also conducted joint exercises over the Greek island of Crete last week.
Separately, Egypt is part of a four-country mechanism bringing together Cairo, Ankara, Riyadh and Islamabad that aims to help weather the fallout from the ongoing US war against Iran and Iranian attacks on Gulf countries.
The so-called R-4 mechanism serves as a consultative platform and held its latest meeting in Cairo on June 21.
