President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan signed the Joint Declaration on the Restructuring of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council Meetings with Egyptian President Abdulfettah al-Sisi in Cairo, the capital of Egypt, where he arrived for official visits.
The two Presidents then held a joint press conference.
“We have a common history and culture intertwined with Egypt for more than a thousand years, and with the strength we draw from this deep-rooted heritage, we are endeavoring to raise Turkey-Egypt relations to the level they deserve,” Erdoğan said.
Underlining that they see the same strong will on the Egyptian side, Erdoğan said.
“We have moved our High Level Strategic Cooperation Council to the level of Presidents. I told my dear brother that I expect him to come to Ankara at the first opportunity to hold our council meeting. I believe that this visit will be a new turning point in our relations.
We intend to reach 15 billion dollars trade volume
Trade and economy are the engine of our cooperation. In our consultations today, we agreed to increase the trade volume to 15 billion dollars in a short time. We are also determined to increase our investments, which are approaching 3 billion dollars. During our talks, we exchanged ideas on additional steps we can take in this direction. The defense industry is another area where we have very serious potential. Egypt is making significant investments in the defense sector. I believe that we will join forces with Egypt and develop joint projects.
We are also evaluating the possibilities of developing our cooperation in the field of LNG, nuclear and renewable energy. We will endeavor to further strengthen existing ties in the fields of tourism, education and culture. Yunus Emre Institute in Cairo is the branch with the highest interest in Turkish courses in the world. It is gratifying that 22 thousand Egyptian students enrolled in the courses last year.”