Israeli efforts to drive people out of Gaza null, void: President Erdogan

Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said attempts to exile people of Palestine's Gaza from their lands are “null and void.”

Erdogan said forced depopulation of Gaza is “unacceptable,” during a news conference with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah el Sisi in Cairo on Wednesday.

“It is our priority to establish a ceasefire as soon as possible to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza without any obstacles,” he said.

He also added that Türkiye will continue to cooperate and stand in solidarity with its “Egyptian brothers” to stop bloodshed in Gaza.

Last July, Türkiye and Egypt raised their diplomatic ties and appointed ambassadors.

Ties between the two countries had been at the level of charges d'affaires since 2013.

New page in relations

Hosting his Turkish counterpart in the capital Cairo for the first time in a decade, Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el Sisi said on Wednesday that his country is opening a new page in relations with Türkiye.

"I welcome President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his first visit to Egypt in more than 10 years to open a new page between our two countries to enrich our bilateral relationship and put it on the right track," Sisi said during a joint news conference with the Turkish leader.

Sisi said Egypt seeks to boost its trade with Türkiye to $15 billion in the next five years.

The Egyptian leader said he looks forward to accepting President Erdogan's invitation to visit Türkiye in April to strengthen bilateral relations.

“I affirm our pride and appreciation for our historic relations with Türkiye and the cultural heritage we share,” he added.

Need for immediate ceasefire in Gaza

As for the situation in Gaza, Sisi hailed cooperation between Egypt and Türkiye for quick access to the largest amount of humanitarian aid to the Palestinians in the enclave.

The Egyptian leader said he agreed with President Erdogan on the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, restoring calm in the West Bank and resuming peace talks for establishing a Palestinian state.

He also underlined the need to enhance Egyptian-Turkish consultations to help hold presidential and legislative elections in Libya and unify the country’s military institutions.

“I am also pleased to welcome the current calm in the Eastern Mediterranean region and look forward to building on that to settle the existing disputes between the countries bordering the region so that we can all cooperate to maximize the benefit from the available natural resources,” Sisi said.