The prime minister of Turkey was the focus of attention in Cairo this week, Dina Ezzat reports "He's very impressive. I mean the way he carries himself and the way he talks. Why don't we have Arab leaders like this anymore? I mean he is not like [Gamal] Abdel-Nasser, but he is a true leader in the modern sense of the word," said Hisham, a pharmacist. Speaking while following news of the visit of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the prime minister of Turkey, that started Monday evening and was scheduled to end yesterday, Hisham found three qualities in Erdogan that he hoped Egypt's next president would have: composure, a modern outlook, and the capability of making good and balanced political decisions. "He gives Israel a hard time, but he does not go all the way into a full confrontation. He serves his country's dignity, but he does not cross red lines." Not only Hisham was impressed. Erdogan euphoria was widespread as thousands gathered at the entrance of Cairo International Airport to welcome the same man whose country is a fully paid up member of NATO. But the crowds were there to greet him as a hero of the Palestinian cause, praising Ankara's stance against Israel since Israeli naval forces attacked a humanitarian aid boat in the summer of 2010 while trying to reach Gaza. Others are impressed with Turkey's successful melding of democracy, development and Islam, credited to Erdogan's ruling party. Some Erdogan fans even called on him to revive the Islamic Caliphate of the erstwhile Ottoman empire. The visit of Erdogan to Egypt comes at the beginning of a tour that would also take him to other two North African countries liberated from authoritarian regimes: Tunisia and Libya. It also comes only a month after the Turkish prime minister was in Somalia to call for world support, including Muslim support, for the famine-devastated countries on the Horn of Africa. Some diplomats even spoke of a visit to Israeli besieged Gaza. Cooperation is a key theme of the tour, especially the visit to Egypt. Over 10 cooperation agreements were signed on Tuesday between ministers accompanying the Turkish prime minister and their Egyptian counterparts under the auspices of Erdogan and Prime Minister Essam Sharaf. Joint Egyptian-Turkish projects in tourism, culture and industry are expected to be pursued shortly. Business cooperation is also on the cards between entrepreneurs on both sides. Sources accompanying the visiting Turkish prime minister say that the close to 200 businessmen who are accompanying Erdogan are meeting with counterparts in Egypt to explore avenues for cooperation in information technology and natural resources related industries. The Turkish businessmen are call for the suspension of obligatory entry visas between Turkey and Egypt to help fast track business cooperation. The volume of trade between the countries is expected to jump, along with investment. But future cooperation between Egypt and Turkey is not just about trade, culture and tourism, but also about politics and military and strategic issues. During his meeting with Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, head of the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, Erdogan saw the go ahead given to the Higher Council for Strategic Cooperation between Egypt and Turkey. During a speech at the Opera House on Tuesday afternoon Erdogan spoke at length on the benefits of cooperation with Egypt. For the audience, the main area of cooperation they hope to see between Cairo and Ankara is in ending Israeli aggression. In statements at the Cairo Opera House and others before an Arab League ministerial meeting, Erdogan promised to go the extra mile to face up to Israeli intransigence. "Israel is crushing international law and human dignity," he said, undermining all chances for stability in the region. Further, its aggression is not just limited to the Palestinians, but also other nations, including Turkey and Egypt, which stand in solidarity having suffered the loss of their respective citizens in Israeli acts of aggression. Erdogan voiced support for the Palestinian diplomatic move of seeking UN recognition for Palestine later this month. He discussed Arab-Turkish diplomatic cooperation with Arab League Secretary-General Nabil El-Arabi. Beyond committing to cooperation with Arab countries and confronting Israeli intransigence, Erdogan spoke in favour of the Arab peoples' "legitimate demands" for democracy and freedom. He expressed support for the Syrian people whose demand for political reform is being crushed by the Syrian president and his army. While in Egypt, Erdogan discussed with Egyptian and other Arab officials possible ways to convince the Syrian president to end the violence against innocent Syrian demonstrators. The shape of the region post-Bashar Al-Assad was also on the agenda of talks with Erdogan.
