CAIRO

Hosting his Turkish counterpart in the capital Cairo for the first time in a decade, Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said Wednesday that his country is opening a new page in relations with Türkiye.

"I welcome President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his first visit to Egypt in more than 10 years to open a new page between our two countries to enrich our bilateral relationship and put it on the right track," Sisi said during a joint news conference with the Turkish leader.

Sisi said Egypt seeks to boost its trade with Türkiye to $15 billion in the next five years.

The Egyptian leader said he looks forward to accepting President Erdogan's invitation to visit Türkiye in April to strengthen bilateral relations.

“I affirm our pride and appreciation for our historic relations with Türkiye and the cultural heritage we share,” he added.

Sisi noted that Türkiye is Egypt’s first trade partner in Africa.

“Türkiye is one of the most important destinations for Egyptian exports, and the experience has proven the great feasibility of joint work between the two countries' business sectors,” he added.

As for the situation in the Gaza Strip, Sisi hailed cooperation between Egypt and Türkiye for quick access to the largest amount of humanitarian aid to the Palestinians in the enclave.

The Egyptian leader said he agreed with President Erdogan on the need for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, restoring calm in the West Bank and resuming peace talks for establishing a Palestinian state.

He also underlined the need to enhance Egyptian-Turkish consultations to help hold presidential and legislative elections in Libya and unify the country’s military institution.

“I am also pleased to welcome the current calm in the Eastern Mediterranean region and look forward to building on that to settle the existing disputes between the countries bordering the region so that we can all cooperate to maximize the benefit from the available natural resources,” Sisi said.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala