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Egyptian General Intelligence Service Chief Lt. Gen. Hassan Rashad met with his Turkish counterpart Ibrahim Kalin on Thursday evening in a meeting described as carrying "special symbolism" in the trajectory of Cairo-Ankara relations, according to The New Arab report published on Friday.
The two officials reportedly announced their agreement on the necessity of ending the war in Gaza "as soon as possible" based on the mediators' proposal, affirming that continued bloodshed in the Strip threatens regional stability.
The intelligence chiefs discussed sensitive shared files beyond Gaza, most notably developments in Sudan and Libya, where both countries constitute an influential axis in either settlement paths or escalation of conflicts there.
Observers noted that holding the meeting at this level "reflects both parties' recognition of the importance of coordination in files of a shared security and political nature, which enhances the path of restoring trust between Egypt and Türkiye, and opens the door for broader cooperation on regional issues."
The meeting comes just days after Kalin's visit to Benghazi, where he met with retired General Khalifa Haftar, signaling rapidly improving Turkish-Libyan relations.
The Turkish Defense Ministry announced a high-level military meeting in Benghazi, attended by Haftar's son and ground forces commander Saddam Haftar, alongside a Turkish military delegation headed by Lt. Gen. Ilkay Altindag, as part of the frigate TCG Kinaliada's visit.
According to The New Arab's report, analysts view the connection between Turkish movements in Libya and the Cairo meeting as "reflecting Ankara and Cairo's mutual recognition of the importance of coordinating their positions in more than one regional arena, especially as Libya is considered one of the most sensitive and shared files between the two countries, alongside Gaza, Sudan and the eastern Mediterranean."
This adds to the Rashad-Kalin meeting "symbolism that goes beyond the bilateral nature to drawing the features of a new regional alignment," according to observers who spoke to The New Arab.
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