Türkiye, Egypt urge stronger measures for Gaza, vow to boost cooperation

Türkiye and Egypt agreed on the need for stronger measures to address Israel’s violations in Gaza as the two regional powers deepen cooperation on a range of regional crises, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Thursday.

Fidan, speaking at a news conference alongside Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty in El Alamein, described Egypt as Türkiye’s “natural partner” and voiced hope that the growing relationship between Ankara and Cairo would soon evolve into a formal partnership.

“Our region has lost too much time to wars, occupations and internal conflicts. We have a significant gap to close,” Fidan said, stressing the need for closer regional cooperation.

Fidan said Ankara and Cairo were working closely on Gaza and had agreed that stronger measures were needed regarding the situation in the Palestinian enclave.

He also emphasized the broader importance of cooperation between the two countries as they seek to coordinate their positions on conflicts and political crises across the region.

“Our region has lost too much time to wars, occupations and internal conflicts. We have a significant gap to close,” Fidan said.

“Egypt is our natural partner, and hopefully it will soon become our formal partner as well,” he added.

Fidan sharply criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government over their provocative policies in the region.

“We see that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his team are increasingly escalating policies that trample on human dignity and are adopting an attitude that effectively provokes the entire international community,” he said.

On Libya, Fidan said Türkiye and Egypt were aligned on safeguarding the North African country’s territorial integrity.

“Türkiye and Egypt share the same view regarding Libya’s unity, territorial integrity, sovereignty and indivisibility,” he said.

Fidan also addressed regional tensions involving Iran, saying Ankara hoped for the restoration of a cease-fire between the United States and Iran and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

“We hope that the cease-fire between the U.S. and Iran will be reestablished and that the Strait of Hormuz will be reopened,” he said.

Referring to the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement signed between Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, Fidan described the pact as a landmark development for regional cooperation.

“The Mecca alliance, by its very nature, has marked a historic moment for our region,” he said.

Abdelatty, meanwhile, emphasized the strength of the relationship between Ankara and Cairo and the need for sustained coordination as the region confronts multiple crises.

“Relations between Türkiye and Egypt are truly built on strong foundations,” Abdelatty said.

“We face many challenges in the region, and considering this, we must remain in constant consultation,” he said. “Today, we held constructive talks with Mr. Fidan, and senior officials also participated in these meetings. There is political will to advance our relations.”

Abdelatty said he expected bilateral relations to continue developing, including through greater coordination between the Turkish and Egyptian private sectors.

He said closer cooperation between the two countries could serve as an example to the international community.

Turning to Syria, Abdelatty said Türkiye and Egypt shared opposition to Israeli attacks targeting Syrian sovereignty.

“In our meeting with Minister Fidan, we expressed that we oppose and condemn all Israeli attacks on Syria’s sovereignty,” he said.

Abdelatty also highlighted the two countries’ shared position on Sudan amid the conflict there.

“We are in full agreement with Türkiye on supporting Sudan’s territorial integrity and categorically rejecting its partition,” he said.

The talks in El Alamein came as Türkiye and Egypt continue to strengthen bilateral ties following years of strained relations, while expanding coordination on Gaza, Libya, Syria, Sudan and other regional issues.

DAILYSABAH