ANKARA — Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday hosted Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in the course of the Egyptian chief’s first-ever Turkey go to, which noticed the inking of 17 cooperation offers between the 2 nations after greater than a decade of hostilities.
A big delegation accompanied Sisi, who arrived in Ankara for a daylong go to after the 2 held their first official assembly in Cairo final February.
“My first go to to this pleasant nation is a sign that the relations between the 2 nations will develop a lot additional,” Sisi informed journalists throughout a joint press convention following roughly three hours of talks between the leaders and the 2 nations’ delegations.
The 2 nations signed the offers to deepen their cooperation on an array of points, from power to tradition.
“My go to to Cairo has marked a brand new turning level in our relationships,” Erdogan mentioned. “We’re advancing our bettering relations even additional with the return go to of my expensive brother,” he added.
The language represents a turnaround for Erdogan. Again in 2013, he vowed by no means to shake palms with Sisi over the ouster of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood-led authorities on the time. A decade on, the 2 nations normalized their diplomatic relations as a part of Ankara’s efforts to restore its financial and political ties with regional nations, particularly Egypt in addition to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Mısır Cumhurbaşkanı Abdülfettah Es-Sisi ile Anlaşmaların İmza Töreni ve Ortak Basın Toplantısı https://t.co/SRs51e9twd
— Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (@RTErdogan) September 4, 2024
Turkey’s efforts to be concerned in regional power initiatives prime its expectations in its bilateral relations with Egypt, with which — among the many three nations — it took the longest time for relations to enhance. Capitalizing on its strategic location, Turkey seeks to participate in regional initiatives that intention to hold Egyptian pure fuel to Europe amid Western efforts to lower their dependence on Russia.
“We’re keen to boost our power cooperation with Egypt, particularly in pure fuel and nuclear power,” Erdogan mentioned.
Erdogan additionally reiterated the mutual objective of accelerating the 2 nations’ mutual commerce quantity to $15 billion from the present $10 billion. Turkey stands amongst Egypt’s prime 5 commerce companions, whereas direct international investments of Turkish corporations in Egypt have elevated to $3 billion up to now 12 months, in accordance with the Turkish president.
Narrowing gaps in international coverage
The 2 leaders signed a joint declaration reaffirming their will to extend coordination on a collection of regional points, together with Gaza, Libya and the Horn of Africa — an indication of narrowing gaps between Ankara and Cairo’s international coverage rifts, significantly within the Libyan battle the place the 2 capitals had supported rival teams within the nation’s civil battle.
“We should work collectively, particularly in addressing regional points, to stop humanitarian crises,” Sisi mentioned.
In a bid to pave the best way for its regional fence-mending, Ankara has deserted insurance policies overtly supporting the Muslim Brotherhood, which was designated a terrorist group by Cairo and a number of other Gulf capitals.
