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Turkey, Egypt discuss boosting of ties

Türkiye Materials 9 November 2012 23:36 (UTC +04:00)
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu met with Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr in the Turkish capital on Friday to discuss bilateral relations between the two countries, Todays Zaman reported
Turkey, Egypt discuss boosting of ties

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu met with Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr in the Turkish capital on Friday to discuss bilateral relations between the two countries, Todays Zaman reported

The two ministers met within the scope of the preparations for the second meeting of the Turkish-Egyptian High-level Strategic Cooperation Council. Speaking at a joint press conference after their talks, Davutoglu said Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, accompanied by 12 Cabinet ministers, will visit Cairo on Nov. 17 for the upcoming meeting of the cooperation council.

Signifying the growing cooperation, Turkey will declare 2014 as "Egypt year" while Egypt will mark 2015 as "Turkey year." Responding to questions at the same conference Kamel Amr praised Turkey's economic accomplishments and said the country's progress in all fields over the past decade should be studied. "Turkish-Egypt ties are complementary, not based on competition," said the Egyptian minister.

Following the press conference, the foreign ministers of Turkey, Egypt and Palestine were scheduled to attend a reception organized by Palestinian Ambassador to Turkey Nabil Maarouf at the Ankara Palas, where the ministers are expected to call on the international community to vote for the Palestinian bid to upgrade its status from an observer to a non-member state at the UN.

The reception is expected to draw a large crowd, including representatives of all the diplomatic missions and international organizations recognized in Turkey, senior Turkish officials and media representatives.

According to a statement issued by the Palestinian Embassy on Thursday, during the reception the foreign ministers are expected to explain the background and the reasons behind the Palestinian decision to seek an enhanced status and will call on all states to support the Palestinian bid.

Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi visited Turkey late September to strengthen an emerging alliance between the two countries in a region beset by conflict and instability.

Morsi attended the annual congress of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), which took place on Sept. 30.

Turkey, a NATO member with a mostly Muslim, but not Arab, population, has been touted as a democratic model for Egypt and other Arab countries swept up in popular revolts over the past two years.

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