Turkey, Iran Leaders Hold Talks at Cairo Muslim Summit

The leaders of Turkey and Iran held a meeting in Cairo at a summit involving eight Muslim-majority countries, marking their first direct talks since the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Historically, Turkey and Iran have supported opposing sides in Syria’s prolonged civil war, with Turkey backing the opposition and Iran standing by Assad’s government.

During the summit, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan emphasized Turkey’s desire for a stable and secure Syria, where terrorism is eradicated and the country’s territorial integrity is preserved. The Turkish presidency issued a statement in which Erdogan also stressed the importance of maintaining Syria’s unity.

Similarly, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s office issued a statement underscoring Iran’s position against any threat to Syria’s territorial integrity. He also called for Muslim nations to take a strong stance against Israel’s actions in the region.

This meeting took place amid a backdrop of regional instability, including the ongoing war in Gaza, a fragile ceasefire in Lebanon, and unrest in Syria. Pezeshkian, addressing the summit, described it as a moral obligation for Muslim countries to act to prevent further harm in conflict zones.

The summit, held by the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation (also known as the Developing-8), marked the first visit of an Iranian president to Egypt since Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s visit in 2013. Diplomatic relations between Egypt and Iran, which have been strained for years, have recently improved, particularly after Egypt took on a mediator role in the Gaza conflict. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi visited Egypt in October, and Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty had traveled to Tehran earlier in July.

This is also Erdogan’s second visit to Egypt this year, with his previous visit in February being his first trip to the country as president since 2012, when he was prime minister.