Turkey s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, talks during a joint news conference with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sissi, right, following their meeting at Al-Ittihadiya palace in Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024. AP
"I would like, first of all, to welcome His Excellency President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the delegation accompanying him on his first visit to Egypt in more than 10 years," President El-Sisi said at a joint press conference after holding a summit with the Turkish leader shortly after he arrived in Cairo on Wednesday.
"Together we can open a new page between our two countries, in a way that enriches our bilateral relations and puts it on the right track," said the Egyptian leader.
"I affirm our pride and appreciation for our historical relations with Turkey and the civilizational and cultural heritage we share."
From his side, President Erdogan expressed his happiness at being in Egypt again.
"I am happy to be in Cairo again after a long time," said Erdogan.
The Turkish President thanked President El-Sisi and the Egyptian people for the warm reception.
"We share with Egypt a common history that extends back more than a thousand years," Erdogan said.
"We are awaiting President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi’s visit to Ankara, and we aim to increase the volume of Turkish investments in Egypt," he added.
Turkey has raised cooperation with Egypt to a strategic level and seeks trade exchange worth $15 billion, said Erdogan.
Immediate ceasefire in Gaza
"President Erdogan and I agreed on the necessity of an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and achieving calm in the West Bank so that the peace process can be resumed as soon as possible leading to the declaration of a sovereign Palestinian state on the borders of 4 June 1967 with East Jerusalem as its capital per the relevant international legitimacy resolutions, " said President El-Sisi.
"I express our pride in the level of cooperation existing between Egypt and Turkey for the rapid access of the largest possible amount of humanitarian aid to our people in the Gaza Strip given the restrictions imposed by the Israeli authorities on the entry of this aid, which causes aid trucks to enter at a slow pace that is not commensurate with the needs of the residents of the strip," said El-Sisi.
From his side, President Erdogan thanked the Egyptian Red Crescent and the Egyptian Ministry of Health for facilitating the entry of aid and treating the wounded and injured.
"We appreciate Egypt's firm stance towards rejecting the displacement of the residents of the Gaza Strip."
Egypt and Turkey are endeavouring to stop the bloodshed in Gaza as a result of the massacres committed by Israel against the Palestinian people, he noted.
He said his country sent more than 31,000 tons of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
President Erdogan slammed Israel's announced plans of launching a ground invasion into Rafah, where 1.4 million Palestinians seek shelter from Israeli bombardment elsewhere in the Gaza Strip.
"Netanyahu wants to commit massacres in Rafah," said Erdogan.
“We do not accept the displacement of Palestinians from Gaza - All initiatives that aim to displace the residents of Gaza are dead on arrival,” said the Turkish leader.
In November, Egypt and Turkey agreed to transport nearly 1,000 Palestinians from Gaza, including child cancer patients, through the Rafah crossing to receive treatment in Turkey.
"We look forward to supporting our Egyptian brothers to establish a field hospital for the people of Gaza,” said Turkish President in the press conference.
Libya
President El-Sisi said he agreed with the Turkish President to strengthen consultation between the two countries on the Libyan file in a way that helps hold presidential and legislative elections and unify the military establishment in the country.
"Our success would contribute to achieving security and political stability in Libya and serve as a model for resolving other disputes," said the Egyptian leader.
Eastern Mediterranean
“I would also like to welcome the current calm in the eastern Mediterranean region, and we look forward to building on it, settling the existing disputes between the coastal states in the region so that we can all cooperate to achieve the maximum benefit from the natural resources available there,” El-Sisi said.
Africa
In the press conference, the Egyptian President affirmed the common interest between the two countries in cooperation in Africa toward achieving development, and stability, and prosperity.
From his side, Erdogan said: "We discussed Libya, Somalia and Sudan and we agreed on the integrity and unity of those countries."
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