Erdogan greeted by thousands of supporters at Cairo Airport

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan. “Greetings to the Egyptian people, greetings to the Egyptian youth, Egypt and Turkey are united.” This is how the Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, greeted the crowds of Egyptian people who were awaiting his arrival at Cairo Airport last night.  Erdogan and his entourage were greeted by more than 5000 Egyptians. Erdogan arrived with his wife, his Communication and Foreign Ministers, and a delegation of 85 Turkish businessmen to meet his Egyptian counterpart, Essam Sharaf.

Erdogan has become particularly popular in Egypt after his expulsion of the Israeli ambassador to Turkey last week. Erdogan’s welcome was organised by the Muslim brotherhood, which organised buses to bring the thousands of young people to the airport. Ergodan’s supporters waved Egyptian and Turkish flags and chanted messages of support for Turkey’s Prime Minister.
Erdogan will later meet with Sharaf and Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. Turkey's prime minister has told Arab foreign ministers that Israel has isolated itself and must "pay the price" after refusing to apologize for its raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla last year.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke before the gathering at the Arab League Tuesday, part of a three-day visit to Egypt aimed at boosting his government's standing in the Arab world.
Meetings are scheduled between the Turkish Prime Minister and Imam Ahmed Altayeb, Mufti Dr Joma’a and the Minister of Religious Endowments, Mohammed AbdelFadil.
On top of his official commitments, Erdogan will meet Egypt's youth leaders who spearheaded the country's popular revolt against President Hosni Mubarak in February. Erdogan and the Turkish businessmen will later meet with a number of Egyptian business figures to discuss economic issues.
Erdogan will later travel to Tunisia, where the popular overthrow of president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in January sparked protest movements across the region.