Turkey and Egypt aim to raise bilateral trade to $15 billion from the current $9 billion and plan to increase joint military exercises, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said during a visit to Egypt, after Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed a mutual defence pact last week.
Fidan, co-chairing the second meeting of the Turkey-Egypt Joint Planning Group with Egyptian counterpart Badri Abdelatty in El Alamein, said Turkish investments in Egypt have surpassed $4 billion. He is also expected to be received by President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Both sides agreed on the need for a political solution in Sudan and Libya, and Fidan accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of undermining a Gaza ceasefire.
The Mecca defence agreement is purely defensive and does not target any specific actor, Turkey's defence ministry said, though Egypt has reportedly declined to join and Saudi Arabia is said to oppose Cairo's accession. President Erdoğan has said the pact remains open to all regional partners.