Ankara: Erdogan and Sisi chair first meeting of Strategic Cooperation Council, 17 agreements signed between the two countries

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah el-Sisi co-chaired the first meeting of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council between the two countries in the Turkish capital Ankara.

Following the meeting, 17 agreements were signed, including a memorandum of understanding on developing the industrial zone in the New Administrative Capital, and a land allocation agreement on developing the industrial zone in the New 6th of October City.

The agreements included memoranda of understanding in the field of competition policy, cooperation in the field of higher education, railways, civil aviation, information and communications technology, and scientific, economic and technical cooperation in the field of agriculture.

It also included memoranda of understanding on cooperation in the field of health and medical sciences, the field of supporting and developing small and medium enterprises, the field of tourism and culture, financial and economic issues, energy, the field of work and employment, environmental protection, and urban development, in addition to a memorandum between the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of State for Immigration and Egyptian Expatriates Affairs.

Presidents Erdogan and Sisi signed the joint declaration of the first meeting of the Turkey-Egypt High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council.

"We cooperate with Egypt in all sectors and continue to strengthen relations, and I am grateful to see the fruits of this cooperation," Erdogan said during a joint press conference with Sisi following the meeting.

He continued, "In our talks, we discussed regional issues and their solutions, most notably the situation in Gaza," stressing that the priority now is to stop the massacres in the Strip and reach a ceasefire.

For his part, the Egyptian President said that the high-level strategic meeting "comes within the framework of the two countries' sincere desire to enhance cooperation."

Sisi arrived in Ankara on Wednesday on his first presidential visit in 12 years as relations between the two countries improve.

The Egyptian president said, after being received by his Turkish counterpart at Ankara airport, "I express my great happiness with my first visit to the Republic of Turkey, and my meeting with His Excellency President Recep Tayyip Erdogan," according to a statement from the Egyptian presidency.

He added, "Our two ancient countries have deep-rooted historical and popular relations, and they have also had strong political relations since the founding of the Turkish Republic."

He continued, "Perhaps my visit today, and before it the visit of His Excellency President Erdogan to Cairo, reflects the common will to start a new phase of friendship and cooperation between Egypt and Turkey, based on their pivotal role in their regional and international surroundings."

Gaza file

The Turkish president said that Israel's dropping of thousands of tons of bombs on Gaza aims to "subdue the Palestinian people after failing to break their will," stressing that the policies of Benjamin Netanyahu's government are pushing the region and the entire world into danger.

Erdogan said that his country is continuing its efforts to bring to justice the Israeli officials responsible for committing massacres in Gaza, noting that Israel is preventing aid from reaching the people of Gaza, "which is another crime added to its record of crimes."

Last month, Turkey filed a formal application with the International Court of Justice to join South Africa's genocide lawsuit against Israel.

For his part, the Egyptian President said, "The crises the region is experiencing confirm the importance of coordination and cooperation between Egypt and Turkey."

Al-Sisi stressed that the two countries' positions "are identical in calling for an immediate ceasefire and achieving the Palestinian people's aspirations for an independent state."

The Turkish President visited Cairo last February, in his first visit to Egypt since 2012.

During their meeting in Cairo, the Egyptian and Turkish presidents stressed their desire to open a new page in relations between the two countries. At the time, Sisi said that his country would increase the value of economic cooperation with Turkey to $15 billion in the coming years.

After deteriorating following the overthrow of President Mohamed Morsi in 2013, relations between the Turkish and Egyptian presidents have witnessed a noticeable improvement for about two years, and the two countries have taken steps towards reconciliation, with their positions converging on many regional issues, especially the Israeli war on Gaza.

Despite the political crisis, trade relations between the two countries remained good, as Turkey is Egypt's fifth trading partner, while the latter is Turkey's first economic partner in Africa. The past few years have witnessed mutual visits by officials and delegations from the two countries.

Source: Agencies