Türkiye, Egypt working together on Gaza peace efforts, Libya stability, says President Erdogan

Recep Tayyip Erdogan underscores cooperation between Ankara, Cairo on regional issues in joint press conference with Abdel Fattah al-Sisi

Türkiye and Egypt are working together on efforts for peace in Gaza as well as stability in neighboring Libya, said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday. “Türkiye is working with Egypt on initiatives to make peace in Gaza possible and will continue these efforts,” Erdogan told a joint press conference in Cairo with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. “Our shared objective with Egypt continues to be the preservation of Libya’s unity and territorial integrity to establish lasting stability in the country,” he added. Noting that Egypt is already Türkiye's largest trade partner in Africa, Erdogan said Ankara aims to boost the bilateral trade volume from $8-9 billion to $15 billion. “Türkiye wants to enhance its cooperation with Egypt in the fields of maritime trade and transportation, freedom of navigation, and maritime security,” he said. He also noted that Türkiye rejects Israel’s recognition of the breakaway region of Somaliland, citing the need to protect Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. On the situation in Egypt’s southern neighbor Sudan, Erdogan said that Ankara wants a ceasefire in Sudan, then sustainable peace in the country. On rising tensions between Washington and Tehran, Erdogan said: “Resolving issues with Iran, including the nuclear issue, through diplomatic means is the most appropriate method." On Syria, the president underlined that Türkiye supports Syria's major transformation, as the region will benefit greatly from Syria's territorial integrity and political unity. Erdogan also stressed that despite a months-long ceasefire, the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza is still continuing. He praised Cairo’s efforts to get humanitarian aid sent by Türkiye into the hands of Palestinians in Gaza.