Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that improving relations with Egypt to a better level will lead to positive results on many regional issues, particularly the Syrian one.
Erdogan revealed that he had received an invitation from Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, during their meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in India, to visit Egypt. But he told him that he was first waiting for his visit to Türkiye.
Turkish media had previously announced that Sisi would visit Türkiye on July 27, but the date coincided with Sisi’s attendance at the African-Russian summit on July 27 and 28 last year.
- Strengthening relationships
“We have already set up a high-level strategic cooperation council, and we will work to revive it,” Erdogan indicated, adding that the two countries planned to revive a High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council.
During their meeting on Sunday, Sisi and Erdogan agreed to strengthen the course of relations between the two countries.
They stressed their keenness to strengthen regional cooperation as a well-established strategic approach within the framework of common interest.
Egyptian presidential spokesman Ahmed Fahmy announced Sunday that the two presidents “discussed many issues” in their meeting.
According to Fahmy, they stressed the importance of advancing relations between the two countries and building on tangible progress to resume various mechanisms of bilateral cooperation.
They also expressed keenness to strengthen regional cooperation as a solid strategic approach within a framework of mutual respect, common interest, and sincere intentions to contribute to safeguarding security and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean region.
The two presidents exchanged views on regional developments of mutual interest and ways to intensify consultation and coordination between the two countries to enhance all aspects of bilateral relations in the interest of the two countries and peoples.
In a statement on Sunday, the Turkish Presidency said that Erdogan confirmed during his meeting with Sisi that relations between the two countries have entered a new era with the appointment of ambassadors for each of them.
The two presidents and their accompanying delegations discussed supporting relations and efforts to increase regional and global trade and cooperation, added the statement.
Erdogan pointed to the important support provided by the Egyptian authorities to Turkish investors and companies, saying it was essential to boost cooperation in various fields.
Egyptian-Turkish relations witnessed positive developments over the past months, and the two countries increased their diplomatic representation to the ambassador level.
Ten years earlier, they reduced their representation to the level of charge d’affaires following a rift between the two countries when Egypt removed former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi from power.
Sisi and Erdogan shook hands for the first time on the sidelines of the opening of the World Cup in Qatar, and the Turkish president said at the time that he spoke with Sisi for about 30 to 45 minutes.
Sisi called Erdogan after the earthquake that struck Türkiye in February to express the solidarity and sympathy of the Egyptian people.
