Cairo, 14 Feb (Xinhua) -- Egypt's Abdel Fattah el-Sisi met with Turkey's Erdogan in Cairo, the capital of Egypt, on 14 February, and the two sides expressed the hope of further improving relations between the two countries.
On February 14, Egypt's ** Sisi (right) met with Turkey** Erdogan in Cairo. Xinhua News Agency (Photo courtesy of Egypt).
At a joint press conference after the meeting, Sisi welcomed Erdogan's first visit to Cairo after more than a decade and called for efforts to open a new chapter in relations between Egypt and Turkey. Al-Sisi said that at present, Egypt is Turkey's largest partner in Africa, and Turkey is one of the main destinations for Egypt's exports. It is hoped that after Erdogan's visit, the two countries will be able to "enrich bilateral relations and put them back on track."
Erdogan said at a joint press conference that Turkey is willing to improve relations with Egypt and believes that this meeting will open a new chapter in the relations between the two countries, and Turkey will increase its investment in Egypt in the coming years.
Sisi and Erdogan agreed that there is an urgent need to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and restore calm in the West Bank, thus paving the way for the resumption of the Palestinian-Israeli peace process as soon as possible.
After Egypt's former Morsi in 2013, relations between Egypt and Turkey deteriorated, and the two countries downgraded their diplomatic relations. Since 2021, high-level diplomatic consultations between Egypt and Turkey have been held. In May last year, Sisi and Erdogan agreed to upgrade diplomatic relations between the two countries and exchange ambassadors as soon as possible. In July of the same year, Egypt and Turkey restored diplomatic relations between the two countries to the ambassadorial level and exchanged ambassadors.
Egypt's Abdel Fattah el-Sisi (front right) welcomes Turkey's Erdoğan at a ceremony in Cairo on February 14. Xinhua News Agency (Photo courtesy of Egypt).
Egypt's Abdel Fattah el-Sisi (front left, third from left) welcomes Turkey's Erdogan (front left) at a ceremony in Cairo on February 14. Xinhua News Agency (Photo courtesy of Egypt).