Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met for the second time with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during the sidelines of their participation in the G20 summit in the Indian capital, New Delhi.
The two leaders met in the presence of foreign and intelligence ministers from both countries to discuss strengthening bilateral relations.
Egypt’s presidential spokesperson Ahmed Fahmy said in a Sunday statement posted on his Facebook page that “The two presidents stressed the importance of working to advance the course of relations between the two countries, and building on the tangible progress towards resuming various bilateral cooperation mechanisms.”
Fahmy added that Sisi and Erdogan expressed their desire to strengthen regional cooperation as a well-established strategic approach, based on mutual respect and shared interests, in order to continue maintaining security and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean region.
The meeting also discussed regional developments of common interests, the spokesperson added, alongside ways to intensify coordination between Egypt and Turkey in order to enhance all facets of bilateral relations.
Fahmy shared photos of Sisi and Erdogan shaking hands and of the meeting of the delegations of both countries on the sidelines of the G20 summit, in the presence of the foreign ministers and intelligence of the two countries.
The two leaders first shook hands in the presence of the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, on November 20 on the sidelines of their attendance at the opening ceremony of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
That meeting marked the first between Sisi and Erdogan since former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood, which Erdogan strongly supported, were removed from power in 2013.
Relations with Egypt stand strong
Back in March Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu thanked Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry for his visit to Turkey and his hope to continue exchanging visits between the two countries.
During a joint press conference with Shoukry, Cavusoglu also expressed his thanks to Egypt for the assistance it provided to his country after the earthquake, which reflects the solidarity between the two countries.
He described relations between Turkey and Egypt as “historic” with a basis in a common culture, stressing: “This is why we want to strengthen relations between the two countries, which of course needs help and support from Presidents Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Recep Tayyip Erdogan.”
