Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry will travel to Ankara on Thursday, upon the invitation of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.
Ambassador Ahmed Abu Zeid, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that the visit aims to continue discussions related to the normalization of relations between Egypt and Türkiye.
This is in a way that ensures the strengthening of bilateral relations between the two countries in various fields, to complement the talks held between the two sides during the visit of the Turkish Foreign Minister to Cairo last March.
Additionally the two sides hold consultations on a number of regional and international issues of common interest.
The two Ministers are scheduled to hold a bilateral closed-door meeting upon the arrival of Sameh Shoukry in Ankara, followed by a session of wide-ranging discussions between the delegations of the two countries, followed by a joint press conference.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu paid a visit to Cairo last March, the first visit by a Turkish minister to Egypt for more than 10 years, during which he met with Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and held bilateral Egyptian-Turkish talks.
Minister Shoukry also visited Turkey two weeks ago to express solidarity after the devastating earthquake and subsequent tremors that claimed more than 50,000 lives in Turkey and Syria.
During a joint press conference, Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said, “There are deep and long-standing relations between the Egyptian and Turkish peoples throughout history, and we are very proud of them. We are happy to launch the restoration of the course of these relations between the two countries in all aspects and to start a new phase that will have a positive impact on the two peoples to achieve greater stability.”
“Consultations between senior foreign ministry officials in Ankara and Cairo began in 2021 when Turkey sought to improve relations with Egypt, the UAE, Israel, and Saudi Arabia, but the normalization of relations between Ankara and Cairo accelerated after Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan shook hands in Doha during the recent World Cup soccer finals hosted by Qatar.”
Cavusoglu said the two leaders may meet face to face again after the 14 May elections in Türkiye.
Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Alin said that the benefits of improved relations between Türkiye and Egypt will be reflected in the situation in Libya, Palestine and the wider region.
He pointed out that Türkiye believes that the improvement of relations with Egypt will have many benefits throughout the region.
Saleh Motlou Shin, Turkey’s charge d’affaires in Egypt, said trade between Egypt and Türkiye is expected to reach $20 billion in the coming years.
He added that the two countries will jointly build their future in consolidating all political, economic, trade and cultural fields.
Nihad Akinci, president of the Egyptian-Turkish Businessmen’s Association, said his country felt the support of the Egyptian people and the Egyptian government for Turkey, as well as the Egyptian Red Crescent’s support for the Turkish people after the devastating earthquake on February 6th.
He said economic relations between Egypt and Türkiye developed with the signing of the free trade agreement in 2005, adding that Türkiye is interested in investments in Egypt due to the facilities it provides. Akinci pointed out that there are about 200 Turkish companies in Egypt that provide thousands of job opportunities, with direct investment of up to $2bn.
