The tour to and .
What did Erdogan achieve in Cairo?
During his visit to Cairo yesterday, the presidents of Turkey and Egypt signed a series of agreements concerning defense, economy and trade, signaling the upgrading of the strategic cooperation of the two countries. The two leaders’ talks also extended to critical regional issues, such as the need for a cease-fire in Gaza, the crisis in Sudan, developments in Libya and Syria, the war in Ukraine, as well as the tensions surrounding Iran’s nuclear program.
Ministers from both sides ratified a number of agreements in areas such as defence, tourism, health and agriculture. At the joint press conference, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi emphasized that he and his Turkish counterpart discussed ways to strengthen bilateral trade relations, with the aim of increasing the volume of trade from the current 9 billion dollars to 15 billion dollars. For his part, Erdogan pointed out that Egypt is Turkey’s most important trade partner on the African continent and expressed Ankara’s willingness to deepen cooperation in the fields of maritime trade, transport and maritime security.
Al-Sisi said that he discussed with his “brother”, as he described the Turkish president, the sincere efforts of Egypt and Turkey to de-escalate tensions in the region, promote diplomatic solutions and prevent military conflicts, whether they concern the Iranian nuclear issue or the Middle East as a whole.
Erdogan, for his part, underlined the importance of maintaining the unity and territorial integrity of Libya, as well as the need to achieve a ceasefire in Sudan. Referring to Iran, he stressed that diplomacy is the appropriate way to resolve disputes and warned that a possible external intervention could destabilize the entire region.
What happened in Saudi Arabia?
Before his visit to Egypt, Tayyip Erdoğan had also visited Saudi Arabia, where various agreements and initiatives were announced.
More than 700 Turkish and Saudi businessmen attended the Arab-Turkey Business Forum on Tuesday, on the sidelines of the visit, aimed at capitalizing on key 2023 bilateral agreements on investment, energy and facilitating market access. At the same time, the completion of a free trade agreement was also on the discussion table.
As Tayyip Erdogan announced today, Saudi Arabia and Turkey are considering joint investment in Turkey’s Kaan fifth-generation fighter jet program, and a decision may be made soon.
“We are signing important cooperation agreements in the field of defense industry with Saudi Arabia and we are determined to strengthen them further,” Erdogan told reporters on his return to Turkey, following visits this week to Egypt and Saudi Arabia. “Furthermore, a joint investment with Saudi Arabia is under consideration and this investment in Kaan could materialize at any time,” he added.
Turkey has been developing a fifth-generation fighter jet since 2010, but plans accelerated after Ankara was banned from the US F-35 program in 2019 due to its purchase of the Russian-made S-400 anti-aircraft system, which also led to sanctions by the US Congress.
The Kaan program is considered particularly costly, prompting Ankara to seek international partners.
