Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. (AA photo)
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held talks with senior Egyptian officials on Aug. 13 to strengthen bilateral ties and discuss expanding regional cooperation, days after Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan established a new defense pact.
Fidan and his Egyptian counterpart, Badr Abdelatty, co-chaired the second meeting of the Joint Planning Group in the Mediterranean resort city of Al Alamein.
The talks were expected to focus on implementing decisions reached at a meeting of the two countries’ High-Level Strategic Council in February, as well as preparations for future agreements, according to Turkish sources.
The ministers were also expected to discuss ways to deepen economic and trade ties, with both sides expressing a goal of increasing bilateral trade to $15 billion.
Fidan and Abdelatty were also set to exchange views on expanding military and defense industry cooperation.
Fidan was expected to reiterate Türkiye’s commitment to developing a broader partnership involving Türkiye, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan under what Ankara calls the R4 initiative.
The talks came days after Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan agreed to establish a regional defense pact aimed at strengthening security cooperation.
In a recent interview, Fidan said Egypt was a natural partner for the three countries and would join the arrangement once technical preparations were completed.
Fidan was also scheduled to meet Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Fahmy later in the day.
His visit followed a trip to Libya, where he visited both Tripoli and Benghazi to underscore Türkiye’s support for the unity of the divided North African country.
Fidan said Türkiye’s “One Libya” policy was aimed at supporting Libya’s political and military unity and exploring ways Ankara could contribute to that process.
