The anticipated visit of Egyptian President Abdulfattah Al-Sisi to Turkiye is another step for strengthening bilateral relations, added to the historic visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Egypt last February, in a rapid scene of leaps of consensus, rapprochement, and cooperation to better relations.
These two visits come after a lull in ties that lasted almost a decade, during which diplomatic relations remained at the charge d’affaires level only, while bilateral trade between the two countries was not affected.
Perhaps the meeting of the two presidents at the World Cup in Qatar contributed greatly to the reconciliation and the restoration of relations, especially at the diplomatic level, whereas the two countries decided to raise diplomatic representation to the rank of ambassador last year with the aim of establishing normal relations again.
According to the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this measure reflects the two countries’ determination to work towards strengthening their bi
lateral relations for the benefit of the Egyptian and Turkish peoples.
Egypt subsequently announced the nomination of Amr Al-Hamami as its ambassador in Ankara, while Turkey nominated Salih Mutlu Shen as ambassador in Cairo.
The Turkish-Egyptian relationship witnessed a rapid rapprochement and a high-level exchange of official visits, most notably the visit of former Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry to Turkiye following the earthquake in February 2023.
President Erdogan’s recent visit to Egypt represented an important step in supporting and strengthening relations, and the extent of closeness was evident in the press conference, as President Al-Sisi welcomed his Turkish counterpart, saying, “Let us open together a new page between our countries in a way that strengthens our relations and put them on the right track.” The Egyptian President expressed his pride and appreciation for the historic relations with Turkiye and the common civil and cultural heritage, in addition to increasing trade relations
during that period.
He said that Egypt is Turkiye’s first trading partner in Africa, while Ankara is one of the most important destinations for Egyptian exports, stressing the desire to raise the volume of trade exchange to USD 15 billion in the coming years and to benefit from the two countries while they are facing security, economic and social challenges caused by unstable reality.
On the other hand, President Erdogan affirmed in Cairo that the two countries share a common history that goes back to more than a 1,000 years, which makes it necessary for them to advance their relations to a decent path, especially in light of the mutual will to raise the level of cooperation to a strategic cooperation council.
It is expected that this council will hold its first meeting on the sidelines of Al-Sisi’s visit to Ankara to mark a new milestone in bilateral ties.
According to Erdogan’s statement in Cairo, Turkiye seeks to raise its investments in Egypt up to USD three billion.
On the political side, latest reg
ional developments, especially the ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza and the situation in Libya have become the priority of the two presidents’ discussions in Cairo.
After recent visits by senior officials, the two countries are currently working to strengthen bilateral cooperation in order to achieve stability in the region, relying on their role in resolving regional and international issues, most notably the war on Gaza.
On that matter, former Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said that “there is no conflict of interests between Egypt and Turkey, but rather compatibility and a positive influence in solving these chronic problems and achieving the interests of both countries.” Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan visited Cairo in August and met with the Egyptian President and his Egyptian counterpart Bader Abdulati, who recently took over the foreign ministry, succeeding Shoukri.
These visits benefited bilateral cooperation and the preparation for the first session of the Strategic Cooperation Cou
ncil at the level of presidents, which reflects a real desire to enhance cooperation, joint coordination and achieve regional and global stability.
Source: Kuwait News Agency