The Egyptian and Turkish presidents witnessed the signing of a series of agreements aimed at bolstering strategic cooperation between the two countries, including in defense and economic fields, following talks in Cairo on Wednesday.
The agreements and memoranda of understanding signed cover military cooperation, trade and investment, pharmaceuticals and medical supplies, social protection, youth and sports, as well as plant quarantine and veterinary services.
In a joint press conference following the talks, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said he and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan discussed ways to enhance bilateral trade, which currently stands at around $9 billion, making Egypt Türkiye’s largest trading partner in Africa.
Türkiye, in turn, ranks among the leading destinations for Egyptian exports, El-Sisi said.
He added that they agreed on the need to raise the volume of bilateral trade to $15 billion and to remove any obstacles hindering the achievement of this goal, while also boosting mutual investments and expanding broader economic cooperation.
Erdogan made a one-day visit to Cairo on Wednesday, during which he and President El-Sisi attended the closing session of the Egyptian-Turkish Business Forum and co-chaired the second meeting of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council.
The two leaders also held talks on a wide range of regional files, including the ceasefire in Gaza, the crisis in Sudan, developments in Libya and Syria, the Ukraine crisis, as well as current tensions surrounding the Iranian nuclear file.
“I discussed with my brother, the president of Türkiye, the sincere and genuine efforts undertaken by Egypt and Türkiye to de-escalate tensions in the region, promote diplomatic solutions, and avert the specter of war—whether with regard to the Iranian nuclear file or the region as a whole,” El-Sisi said.