ISTANBUL 

Egypt is determined to strengthen “constructive” cooperation with Türkiye, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Wednesday.

Speaking at a joint press conference in Cairo with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Sisi said they stressed “the need to continue developing and enhancing constructive cooperation” between Cairo and Ankara “to reach sustainable political solutions that address the root causes of the crises” in the region.

“We also affirmed the necessity of working to raise the volume of trade exchange to $15 billion and removing any obstacles that may hinder achieving this goal,” he added.

The Egyptian leader called for closer coordination and deeper cooperation among regional countries to ensure security and stability in the region.

“We greatly value our relationship with Türkiye, whose history intersects in part with that of Egypt,” Sisi said. “Egypt is Türkiye’s leading trading partner in Africa, while Türkiye ranks among the top destinations for Egyptian exports.”

He noted that a number of memoranda of understanding were signed between the two countries across various fields.

Sisi said his discussions with the Turkish president took up developments in Gaza.

“We affirmed the importance of implementing the ceasefire agreement and rejecting any obstruction or circumvention of the peace plan,” he said.

Turning to the situation in Sudan, the Egyptian president said he agreed with his Turkish counterpart on the importance of reaching a humanitarian truce in the country that would lead to a “comprehensive peace agreement.”

Sisi also stressed Egypt’s support for Syria’s unity and sovereignty, and underlined the need to enhance stability in the Arab country.

He said the two sides also affirmed the importance of preserving Somalia’s unity and sovereignty and rejected any attempts to divide the country.

Sisi said his discussions with Erdogan also covered joint efforts to achieve stability in Libya, and agreed on supporting the UN-led political process alongside a Libyan-led solution and respect for national institutions.

The talks also addressed efforts to “de-escalate tensions in the region, advance diplomatic solutions, and avert the specter of war, whether in relation to the Iranian nuclear file or the region as a whole,” he added.

“We stressed the importance of ensuring global food security and international energy security,” Sisi said, adding that Egypt looks forward to holding the third meeting of the High Level Strategic Cooperation Council in Ankara in 2028.