Erdoğan arrives in Sharm El-Sheikh for Middle East Peace Summit

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has arrived in Sharm El-Sheikh for the Middle East Peace Summit, scheduled for October 13, to focus on finalising a ceasefire deal for the Gaza Strip.

Erdoğan’s plane initially overshot the airport runway and circled over the Red Sea before successfully landing on a second attempt, Caliber.Az reports per Turkish media.

At the summit venue, President Erdoğan was greeted by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

Erdoğan is expected to take part fully in the summit and hold bilateral meetings with leaders from several attending countries.

The international peace summit has commenced in Egypt’s Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh, co-chaired by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and US President Donald Trump.

Leaders and officials from 27 countries, alongside heads of major international organisations, are attending, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres, European Council President António Costa, and Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit are also present. Israel has confirmed it will not send any officials.

Egypt says the summit aims to end the war in Gaza, advance regional peace and stability, and launch a new phase of Middle East security. Last week, President Trump announced that Israel and Hamas had agreed to the first phase of his 20-point plan, which includes a Gaza ceasefire and the release of Israeli captives in exchange for roughly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.

The plan’s second phase calls for a new governing body in Gaza, the disarmament of Hamas, and the deployment of a multinational force.

Since October 2023, Israeli strikes have killed over 67,600 Palestinians in Gaza, mostly women and children, leaving the enclave largely uninhabitable.

By Aghakazim Guliyev