Türkiye, Egypt to enhance cooperation, promote peace in Gaza: Erdogan

ANKARA, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- Türkiye aimed at developing cooperation with Egypt in a bid to reach peace in Gaza and a lasting resolution in the Palestinian cause, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday.

"We intend to enhance our cooperation with Egypt to put an end to the massacre in Gaza and to achieve a lasting and sustainable resolution to the Palestinian cause," Erdogan told reporters on his return trip to Türkiye after meeting with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo, according to the semi-official Anadolu Agency.

Erdogan paid a rare visit to Egypt on Wednesday amid the Israeli war on Gaza, and when the two countries are stepping up efforts to restore bilateral relations after years of strain.

Türkiye-Egypt relations turned sour after former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi was ousted in July 2013 and his Türkiye-backed Muslim Brotherhood group outlawed, prompting the two countries to expel each other's ambassadors.

Erdogan told reporters that the two presidents discussed the momentum recently gained in bilateral relations, including the military and defense industry and that they agreed to hold the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council Meeting as soon as possible.

"Our visit, made upon the invitation of the President of Egypt, Mr. Sisi, was very sincere, productive, and successful," he said.

Türkiye aims to reach the target of a 15 billion U.S. dollar trade volume with Egypt, its largest trading partner on the African continent, Erdogan said.

Erdogan said his Egyptian counterpart Sisi is expected to visit Türkiye in April or May.