Egypt, Türkiye to discuss bilateral trade, regional issues, including Gaza

By Muhammet Tarhan

ISTANBUL (AA) - Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry will visit Türkiye on Saturday to discuss regional issues with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan.

The regional issues will include Gaza, Libya, the Eastern Mediterranean, Sudan as well as the Horn of Africa, and the Sahel.

Both ministers will also hold talks over bilateral trade, economy, and investment issues.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan paid a visit to Egypt on Feb.14, for the first time after 12-year hiatus, setting an important milestone for bilateral ties amid an upgrade of diplomatic relations and an exchange of ambassadors in July.

During the visit, a joint declaration on the re-establishment of the Turkish-Egyptian High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council under the presidency of the presidents was signed.

According to information obtained from diplomatic sources, the preparations for the High Level Strategic Cooperation Council Meeting are expected to be discussed during foreign ministers' bilateral meeting tomorrow.

While the two countries have a $15 billion bilateral trade volume goal, the steps that can be taken to strengthen economic relations will also be discussed between the two top diplomats.

As the interest of Turkish investors in Egypt is rising day by day, the Turkish investors employ over 100,000 Egyptians.

- Cooperation on regional issues, especially Gaza

The developing relations between Türkiye and Egypt create an important synergy for regional issues, and the interests of the two countries are increasingly converging in the face of current and increasing challenges in the region.

While the views and concerns of the two countries overlap on the Gaza war, their approaches regarding other regional issues, particularly Libya, are also becoming aligned.

The visit is expected to allow for a more in-depth exchange of views on all these issues and to discuss concrete steps forward.

*Writing by Serdar Dincel from Istanbul