By Janet Ekstract ISTANBUL- Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan began his visit in Egypt on August 4, invited by Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr Abdelatty. The trip includes the foreign ministers furthering bilateral relations and discussing preparations for the Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi’s visit to Turkiye – a first for the Egyptian leader. Meanwhile, Fidan had accompanied Turkish President Erdogan on a historic visit to Cairo six months ago, it was his first in 12 years to normalize relations between the two countries. The primary purpose of the visit is to boost bilateral relations between Egypt and Turkiye while ensuring humanitarian aid delivery to Gaza with the only available land crossing for aid located in Egypt. Fidan is also there to discuss Mideast regional tensions especially after Wednesday’s assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh by Israel’s secret service Mossad. Fidan’s first stop was the port city of al-Arish where the first Turkish shipments of humanitarian aid left the port months ago. The Turkish foreign minister also visited the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt.
Fidan spoke to the press at the Rafah crossing, saying he stood just a few hundred meters from “a genocide” and where he said “Two million people are displaced (in Gaza) and some 40,000 women and children martyred.” The Turkish diplomat also told reporters: “There is no medicine, food and water. There are only our Palestinian brothers and sisters facing hunger. I call upon humanity to stop this massacre. If we can’t, we will be an accomplice to it. We have to step up the pressure on Israel, Western countries, particularly the United States, should break their silence or remain a partner in this genocide.” Fidan added that the Rafah crossing remains closed and that humanitarian aid was being diverted to Kerem Shalom border crossing where only 25 trucks are permitted to pass daily. He highlighted his country’s role in sending humanitarian aid, reiterating that Turkiye is the leader in terms of the amount of aid sent to Gaza since the very beginning.
This particular visit is significant since Fidan and Abdellaty will confer on long-term cooperation opportunities in the sectors of energy, healthcare, tourism and defense. Currently, Turkiye and Egypt are planning to upgrade their bilateral trade from $10 billion to $15 billion. There’s also a plan to discuss increasing joint projects in media and communications as well as cooperation between universities in both countries. Both foreign ministers will discuss preparations for the first High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council to be led by Erdogan and El-Sisi in Turkiye that will include signing 20 cooperation agreements. Top diplomats will be sharing their views on bilateral political, economic and cultural relations with the latest developments in the Middle East also part of the agenda. Both Turkiye and Egypt mutually appointed ambassadors in 2023 and earlier this year, Turkiye pledged to provide armed drones to Egypt. Relations between the two nations have been on the fast track since meetings and signing the Strategic Cooperation Agreement when Erdogan and El Sisi previously met.
Photo : AA
