Joint statement from President Erdoğan and Egyptian leader Sisi: 'Cooperation agreements signed'

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan moved to a one-on-one meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi following the welcoming ceremony held at the Presidential Complex. Following the meeting, the two leaders chaired the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council meeting.

An agreement signing ceremony and a joint press conference were held with the participation of Erdoğan and Sisi. 

Stating that "our dialogue with Egypt is at a high level," here are the highlights from Erdoğan's remarks:

"I would like to express my pleasure in hosting Egyptian President Mr. Sisi in our country. Once again, in your presence, I bid him welcome on behalf of myself and my nation. During my visit to Cairo in February, he showed great hospitality and welcomed us very warmly. My visit was a new turning point in our relations. We are taking our cooperation even further. We are continuously strengthening the bridges and multidimensional relations between our countries. 

'THE EGYPTIAN PEOPLE SHOW INTENSE INTEREST IN TURKISH CULTURE AND THE TURKISH LANGUAGE'

We held the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council meeting. Trade and economy constitute the strongest dimension of our cooperation. We are moving decisively toward our goal of increasing our trade volume to 15 billion dollars. We also look forward to welcoming Egyptian investors to Turkey. We aim to develop our cooperation with Egypt in the field of energy. The Egyptian people show intense interest in Turkish culture and the Turkish language. I believe this positive momentum will also be reflected in the field of tourism. 

The contributions of Turkey and Egypt to regional peace and stability are of vital importance. We agreed to hold regular consultations for the resolution of regional issues, primarily Gaza. Turkey and Egypt have a common stance on the Palestinian issue. Ending the genocide that has been ongoing for 11 months, establishing a permanent ceasefire, and the unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid continue to be our priorities. 32 percent of the aid to Gaza has gone from Turkey. I thank the Egyptian authorities who act in cooperation with the Turkish Red Crescent and AFAD. 

'EGYPT IS MEDIATING THE NEGOTIATIONS'

Israel is adding new crimes to those it has already committed by preventing humanitarian aid from reaching those in need. The Israeli administration is trying to break the will of resistance, which it could not break by raining down bombs, by condemning the Palestinian people to hunger and thirst. Israel and its supporters are responsible for every innocent person who dies. Egypt is mediating the negotiations. We are also supporting this process with our Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the MIT, but the obstructive attitude of the Israeli side continues.  

I want to state very clearly that we reject Netanyahu's accusations against Egypt. We have also done our best to increase pressure on Israel. We have submitted our application to intervene in the case filed by South Africa at the ICJ. We continue our efforts to ensure that Israelis who commit crimes in Gaza are held accountable in courts. The place for the murderers of 41 thousand innocent people is not parliamentary podiums, but courtrooms. Some countries are still complicit in the crimes committed by providing unconditional support to Israel.

'TURKISH INVESTMENTS HAVE INCREASED FURTHER WITH CONTACT'

In our consultations, we also discussed regional issues, including the Eastern Mediterranean, Syria, Libya, Sudan, and the Horn of Africa. We have similar positions and goals on many issues. We are determined to strengthen our consultations."

Sisi's remarks were as follows:

"At the beginning of my words, I would like to convey my sincere thanks for the close attention shown to me. This first visit to a friendly country is an indication that our deep-rooted relations will develop much further. I convey the love and greetings of my people. We have many common denominators that bring us together. We have seen that there is more communication between the Turkish people and the Egyptian people along with tourism. On the other hand, trade. Contact has increased even further with the rising Turkish investments.

President Erdoğan's visit to our country in February gave a separate momentum to our relations. We decided there to hold the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council meeting. We decided to take joint steps in many areas, and we observed these in today's agreements as well. The opportunities we offer to Turkish investors are important to us. It is important for Turks to invest in our country and export their products to different countries.

EMPHASIS ON PALESTINE AND THE WEST BANK

I underlined that coordination between Turkey and Egypt is very important in the context of our relations. We decided that we must work together to prevent humanitarian crises. We must work more intensively, especially for our brothers in Palestine and Gaza. As Turkey and Egypt, we emphasized the rights to ensure a ceasefire as soon as possible, to end the occupations in the West Bank, and to establish a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. We are making every effort to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches Gaza. We also discussed security and stability issues. Regarding Libya, we stated that both presidential and parliamentary elections, ensuring security there, and the departure of armed forces from the country are important for Libya.

We also discussed the issue of ending the crisis that negatively affects the Syrian people. We welcome the rapprochement between Turkey and Syria. We also discussed the Sudan issue. I conveyed Egypt's efforts."

News Source: 12punto