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Türkiye and Egypt will reach a bilateral trade volume of $15 billion, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Wednesday, as the two countries' top diplomats used a joint press conference to underline what they described as deepening cooperation across a range of regional crises.
Fidan made the pledge alongside his Egyptian counterpart, Badr Abdelatty, following talks in the Egyptian coastal city of El-Alamein that both ministers characterized as constructive and attended by senior officials from both governments.
"We will reach our $15 billion trade volume target," Fidan said, without specifying a timeframe for the goal.
Fidan described Egypt as a natural partner for Türkiye, adding, "God willing, it will soon become our official partner as well." He said Türkiye-Egypt relations "are proceeding at an excellent level under the leadership of our presidents."
Abdelatty echoed that assessment, saying "Türkiye and Egypt relations are indeed based on strong foundations." He said the two sides held constructive talks and that political will exists on both sides to advance the relationship, adding that coordination between the two countries' private sectors was set to deepen further and could serve as a model for the wider world.
Both ministers addressed the situation in Gaza, with Fidan saying the two countries "are working very closely on the Gaza issue" and that efforts tied to an ongoing peace plan were continuing. He said Türkiye and Egypt had agreed on the need for "more serious measures" to be taken in Gaza.
Fidan was sharply critical of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government, saying, "We see that Netanyahu and his team are increasingly escalating policies that trample human dignity underfoot and are acting in a manner that provokes virtually the entire international community."
The ministers also addressed several other regional files. On Syria, Abdelatty said he and Fidan had "expressed our opposition to and condemnation of all Israeli attacks on Syria's sovereignty."
On Libya, Fidan said Türkiye and Egypt "think alike" on preserving the country's unity, integrity, sovereignty and indivisibility. On Sudan, Abdelatty said the two countries were "fully in agreement" on supporting Sudan's territorial integrity and firmly rejecting its partition.
Fidan also framed the broader relationship in regional terms, saying, "Our region has lost a great deal of time to wars, occupations and internal conflicts. There is a large gap we need to close."
Türkiye and Egypt restored full diplomatic relations in 2023, exchanging ambassadors for the first time since ties were downgraded in 2013, after years of tension linked to disputes over Libya, the Eastern Mediterranean and Egypt's political transition.
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