Official visit to Egypt carried out by the president of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoganwho was received at the presidential palace in Cairo by his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
In their statements after the meeting, the two leaders expressed the their intention to rekindle the problematic relations between Egypt and Turkey until recently and focused mainly on strengthening economic relations between them and on war in Gaza, highlighting the points of convergence of their views. In their joint statements to journalists, Erdogan and Al-Sisi did not mention issues related to the delimitation of maritime zones of jurisdiction in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The Turkish president called Al Sisi “his brother”. and invited him to visit Ankara, saying that this would be a turning point in the relations between the two countries. “We are trying to upgrade Turkey-Egypt relations to the level they deserve. We also see that the Egyptian side has the same will. I told my dear brother that I am waiting for him in Ankara at the first opportunity. I believe this will be a new turning point in our relations,” said Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
For his part, the Egyptian president said: “I look forward to responding to President Erdogan's invitation to visit Turkey next April.”
The two presidents also had the opportunity to assess the developments in Libyathe Sudan and the Somalia. “We fully support the territorial integrity of these countries,” said Tayyip Erdogan, emphasizing that “we are determined to increase our contacts with Egypt for peace and security.”
After their meeting, as reported by APE-MPE, the two presidents signed a joint statement on the resumption of the meetings of the High Level Strategic Cooperation Council between Egypt and Turkey. The Council will meet every two years alternately in Turkey and Egypt.
“We are ready to work with Egypt for the recovery and reconstruction of Gaza”
Regarding the developments surrounding the war in the Gaza Strip, Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that “Netanyahu continues the policy of occupation, destruction and massacres relentlessly despite the backlash».
“Efforts to expel the people of Gaza from their lands are invalid for us. We appreciate Egypt's firm stance on this matter. The Islamic world and the international community, especially the UN Security Council, must not allow such madness. We are ready to work with Egypt on the recovery and reconstruction of Gaza in the medium term“, added the Turkish president.
In the same vein, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi expressed Egypt's interest in providing humanitarian aid to Gaza and agreed with his Turkish counterpart in favor of establishing a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders. “When we talk to Mr. Erdogan, we wish especially the ceasefire and the declaration of a Palestinian state as soon as possible. Egypt and Turkey can achieve very good results in Gaza by joining forces. I agree with the Turkish president on the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and a de-escalation of tension in the West Bank.”
The two presidents set the goal of raising the annual trade volume between Egypt and Turkey to 15 billion dollars from the current 10 billion.
Referring to bilateral trade relations, Al-Sisi pointed out that “Egypt is Turkey's largest trade partner in North Africa. Our relations with Turkey are growing day by day.”
“The defense industry is an area with serious potential. Egypt is making significant investments in this sector. We can implement joint projects by joining forces with Egypt,” said Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Erdogan's visit is the first by a Turkish president to Egypt after 12 years, with Tayyip Erdogan appearing determined to turn a “new page” in his relations with the Egyptian president, whom he called a coup plotter and a murderer after the coup that ousted Mohamed Morsi. After last May's presidential elections and Erdogan's re-election in Turkey, information leaked from Turkish sources that Al-Sisi was about to visit Ankara, a visit that ultimately did not take place and instead Erdogan's visit to Cairo was planned today. The ice between the two presidents began to break in November 2022 after they shook hands on the sidelines of the World Cup in Qatar and the mutual appointment of ambassadors by the two countries last summer.
Source: News Beast
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