Amb. Salih Mutlu Şen writes ✍️
Ambassador of the Republic of Türkiye to the Arab Republic of Egypt
Words alone cannot express the soul—sometimes the heart speaks before the tongue. When I said, “Egypt… a homeland we live in, and it lives within us,” it was not merely a diplomatic phrase, but rather the embodiment of a deeper bond—one that no treaty or agreement can fully capture.
From the moment I arrived in Cairo, I felt as though I had come home—not to a foreign land, but to a country where Turkish and Egyptian history converge in every alleyway, minaret, and warm human gesture. Egypt is not just a host to our bilateral relations—it is a natural extension of our shared Eastern spirit, where the Nile meets the Bosphorus, and where Ottoman domes echo the elegance of Mamluk design, blending Sufi hymns and folk melodies that resonate from Alexandria to Ankara.
https://youtu.be/D7Ga5jHXk4w?si=gL2DyRJrWvm_qm_f
More Than Politics
The ties between Türkiye and Egypt go beyond trade volumes or diplomatic visits. They are rooted in centuries of intertwined civilizations. We are not guests in Egypt—we are co-authors of a broader cultural and historical narrative. That narrative continues today when students from both nations learn side by side, when Turkish and Egyptian industries cooperate, and when our souls meet over a Ramadan meal or at a shared cultural festival.
People First
Many assume diplomacy is limited to negotiations and formal statements. But what I have learned here is that true diplomacy begins with people. When a child smiles at you on the streets of Cairo, or when the doors of Egyptian homes open to you without invitation, you realize this country does not just welcome you politically—but humanly, deeply.
Toward a Shared Future
Today, as we write a new chapter in Turkish–Egyptian relations, opportunities are opening for cooperation in energy, tourism, education, technology, and sustainable development. There is a sincere political will from both nations’ leadership to build bridges that go beyond interest—to build a shared destiny.
And because we live in Egypt, and Egypt lives in us, it is our duty—as diplomats and as peoples—to nurture this goodwill, to safeguard it, and to let it flourish just as the Nile flows quietly yet persistently between its banks.
