Turkey’s capital Ankara witnessed an Egyptian-Turkish summit on Thursday, during which Presidents Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed full coordination between both countries on all regional issues.
They also agreed to increase the rate of trade cooperation and signed several economic agreements in the fields of tourism and industry.
Sisi and Erdogan chaired the first meeting of the high-level strategic cooperation council between Egypt and Turkey, which resulted in 36 recommendations.
These included coordination and efforts to end the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, as well as restoring security and ending the conflicts in Libya, Syria, and Sudan.
Additionally, they agreed to support Somalia’s sovereignty over its territory and oppose any interference in its affairs.
Sisi’s visit to Turkey, which is the first since he assumed power in 2014, represents an unprecedented qualitative shift and a distinctive step within Egypt’s regional movements.
A new phase of cooperation
In his speech during the meeting, Sisi expressed his happiness with his first visit to Turkey, calling it a “New phase of cooperation and integration between the two countries.”
“Our discussions emphasized the importance of facilitating the movement of trade between the two countries, and expanding the scope of the free trade agreement between Egypt and Turkey, with the aim of raising trade exchange to $15 billion in the coming years, in addition to enhancing joint investments and providing possible facilities for Turkish businessmen in light of the distinguished investment climate in Egypt, which enabled them to increase the volume of their business and sell their products in Egypt, and export abroad,” the Egyptian leader said.
He also stressed the importance of close coordination and cooperation between Egypt and Turkey to contribute to addressing regional crises, most majorly being the humanitarian tragedy that, “Our Palestinian brothers in Gaza are facing, in an unprecedented disaster that has been going on for nearly a year.”
“In this regard, I am concerned to highlight the unity of the positions of Egypt and Turkey regarding the demand for an immediate ceasefire, the rejection of the current Israeli escalation in the West Bank, and the call to start a path that achieves the aspirations of the Palestinian people to establish their independent state on the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with the relevant international legitimacy resolutions,” he added.
Sisi and Erdogan discussed viewpoints on the Libyan crisis, and Egypt and Turkey agreed to consult to achieve security and political stability in Libya.
The two presidents reviewed the crisis in Sudan, and the efforts exerted by Egypt in cooperation with various parties, to reach a ceasefire and prioritize a political solution.
They also discussed, in detail, the situation in the Horn of Africa, especially Somalia, where they agreed on the necessity of preserving the unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Somalia against the threats it faces.
United on regional issues
On his end, Erdogan said that he and President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi tackled regional issues, especially the Eastern Mediterranean, Syria, Libya, Sudan and the Horn of Africa, during their consultations.
Erdogan added during the press conference, “We are determined to strengthen our consultations with Egypt, with whom we have similar goals and positions on many issues.”
He continued: “We hope to cooperate more closely from now on, and we hope to push our multidimensional relations forward through a win-win approach.”
“The contributions of Turkey and Egypt to regional peace and stability are of great importance, and we agreed in our meetings to hold regular consultations to resolve regional issues, especially the Gaza issue.”
Egypt’s Former Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Mohamed Hegazy, said that, “President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s visit to Ankara and his meeting with his Turkish counterpart, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, comes at a very important and dangerous time that calls for communication and consultation between effective regional powers with credibility and influence such as Egypt and Turkey.”
He explained in statements to the Middle East News Agency that Egypt and Turkey, as pillars of security and stability in the region, must coordinate together in order to prevent the region from tipping over due to the expanding conflict in the region as a result of the ongoing genocidal war in Gaza.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
