Egypt, Türkiye Discuss Cooperation in Military Industries

Egyptian and Turkish officials discuss ways to cooperate in military industries (Egyptian cabinet)
Egyptian and Turkish officials discuss ways to cooperate in military industries (Egyptian cabinet)
TT

Egypt, Türkiye Discuss Cooperation in Military Industries

Egyptian and Turkish officials discuss ways to cooperate in military industries (Egyptian cabinet)
Egyptian and Turkish officials discuss ways to cooperate in military industries (Egyptian cabinet)

Egypt and Türkiye have discussed cooperation in military industries, a few weeks after the two countries restored diplomatic relations.

Egyptian Minister of State for Military Production Mohamed Salah El-Din Mostafa discussed with Salih Mutlu Sen, Charge d'Affaires of Türkiye in Cairo, ways for boosting cooperation between the two sides.

Early this month, Cairo and Ankara appointed ambassadors to each other's capitals for the first time in a decade to restore normal diplomatic relations.

Amr Elhamamy became Egypt's ambassador in Ankara while Türkiye nominated Salih Mutlu Sen as ambassador in Cairo, the Egyptian foreign ministry said at the time.

According to a statement by the Egyptian cabinet, Mostafa on Monday reviewed with the Turkish Charge d'Affaires, the manufacturing, technical, and technological capabilities of the companies and units of the ministry.

The meeting also touched on means to open prospects for joint cooperation between military production companies and similar Turkish companies in various fields of manufacturing.

Mostafa stressed that his Ministry was interested in the introduction of modern technologies to its factories, expanding its military and civil products, and raising their quality and competitiveness in the global markets.

He invited Turkish military industry companies to participate in the Egyptian Defense Exhibition (EDEX-2023) scheduled for December 2023.

He stressed willingness to establish new production lines in cooperation with the Turkish side, which opens up prospects and a more spacious field to enter the Arab and African markets.

Normalization between Ankara and Cairo accelerated after Sisi and Erdogan shook hands in Doha at the World Cup in 2022.

After a series of further steps towards rapprochement, Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry visited Türkiye to show solidarity after the massive earthquakes that killed more than 50,000 people in Türkiye and Syria in February.

The Presidents of the two countries then spoke by telephone following the February 6 earthquake.

On Monday, Salih Mutlu Sen said that Egypt and Türkiye have constructive cooperation in many fields, which is based on mutual trust and respect.

He also appreciated the role played by the ministry in supporting and encouraging investment in Egypt.

He expressed his aspiration to create new opportunities for cooperation and open new horizons for investment to benefit both sides.



Biden, Macron to Declare 60-Day Ceasefire between Hezbollah, Israel on Tuesday

 Smoke and flame rise after an Israeli airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs, known as Dahiyeh, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP)
Smoke and flame rise after an Israeli airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs, known as Dahiyeh, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP)
TT

Biden, Macron to Declare 60-Day Ceasefire between Hezbollah, Israel on Tuesday

 Smoke and flame rise after an Israeli airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs, known as Dahiyeh, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP)
Smoke and flame rise after an Israeli airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs, known as Dahiyeh, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP)

US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron will declare on Tuesday morning a 60-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, Asharq Al-Awsat learned from widely informed sources on Monday.

Washington has spoken of “cautious optimism” that the US proposal for a ceasefire could be a success. The proposal calls for Hezbollah’s withdrawal from the area between the Blue Line and Litani River in a manner that can be verified. In return Israeli forces will withdraw from the regions they occupied since they carried out their limited invasion of Lebanon.

The discussions the US government had on the Lebanon-Israel ceasefire were positive and are headed in the right direction towards a deal, the White House said on Monday.

"We're close," said White House national security spokesperson John Kirby. "The discussions ... were constructive, and we believe that the trajectory of this is going in a very positive direction. But, yeah, nothing is done until everything is done." 

The relative positivity prevailed in spite of the ongoing wide-scale military operations between Israel and Hezbollah in the South and Israel’s air raids deep in Lebanese territory. Hezbollah has also fired rockets deep in Israel, reaching Tel Aviv.

Analysts have said the intense attacks suggest that both Israel and Hezbollah are trying to maximize their leverage as diplomats conduct what they hope is a final round of ceasefire talks, reported the New York Times on Monday.

The New York Times reported on Friday that the terms included a 60-day truce during which Israeli forces and Hezbollah fighters pull back from border areas and the Lebanese Army and a United Nations peacekeeping force increase their presence in a buffer zone.

But officials have also warned that the two sides may not be able to finalize a deal, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has faced pressure from right-wing allies not to end the military campaign.

Israel’s hard-line national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, said in a social media post on Monday that the proposed deal would be a “historic missed opportunity to eradicate Hezbollah.”

Observers meanwhile told Asharq Al-Awsat that all pending issues related to the US proposal have been resolved from the Lebanese side, while Israel has some lingering reservations.

Israeli officials said Netanyahu’s security Cabinet is set to convene on Tuesday to discuss the ceasefire proposal.

Two officials confirmed the Cabinet meeting is set for Tuesday, but they said it is still not clear whether the decision-making body will vote to approve the deal.

The officials spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were discussing internal deliberations.