Ashraf AboArafe
Interviewed by TRT Arabic news channel yesterday, October 6, Turkish Ambassador to Cairo, Salih Mutlu Şen, addressed the economic relations between Egypt and Turkey and the humanitarian aid provided to Gaza.
In response to a question about the prospects of cooperation between Turkey and Egypt and the most prominent areas in which this cooperation has been strengthened during the current period, Ambassador Şen said:
After President Sisi’s visit to Turkey and under the auspices of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President Sisi, nearly 17 agreements were signed in many fields. Many of them are of an economic and technical nature. Capacity expansion agreements were signed. In particular, a memorandum of understanding was signed to develop cooperation in the fields of industry and transportation.
We are currently in the process of implementing these agreements.
What has been achieved, especially in relations between the two countries, has become an example that is being achieved for the first time in relations between many countries. An agreement was signed between a Turkish company and the Egyptian Ministry of Industry regarding the establishment of two separate industrial zones in 6th of October City and the New Administrative Capital.
Ambassador Shen continued his speech by saying: “Two separate industrial zones will be established here on a total area of 5 million square meters and 1,000 factories will be established here within 5 to 10 years and at least 50,000 people will be employed.
Therefore, we will witness intensive cooperation between the two countries, especially in the economic, commercial and technical fields, within the framework drawn by these agreements, and we have the goal of increasing the volume of trade between us to 15 billion dollars within 5 years. This year, I would like to emphasize that we aim to achieve a record number in the volume of trade between the two countries. We are gradually approaching a trade volume of 9.5 billion dollars, excluding liquefied natural gas.
Therefore, it seems that the trade volume of 15 billion dollars within 5 years is an achievable goal. Within 10 years.”
Ambassador Shen explained that the ready-made garments sector occupies a place Important in this context, especially since textiles are a labor-intensive sector, indicating that Turkey is one of the leading countries in the field of ready-made clothing in the Middle East, Europe and the world as a whole, and has a large industrial capacity, technology and produces technology. Entrepreneurs are very active in this field, and Egypt is a country with a large market and is very rich in terms of labor.
Ambassador Shen continued: Egypt has very good economic integration with the countries of the world, and there are free trade agreements with Europe, America, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East. There is also a qualified industrial zones agreement with America. This makes Egypt very attractive to Turkish investors and Turkish businessmen. As you can see, the press has covered the news of Turkish textile manufacturers coming to Egypt heavily.
In fact, shopping, trade and investments in the textile sector between the two countries are in the interest of both countries. Many of our companies come to Egypt. Expand their capacity in Egypt. Make new investments in Egypt and receive financing from European countries because they invest. Or since it has made an additional investment in Egypt, it can maintain its own investment in another sector in Turkey, which is the textile sector, or support it by investing in Egypt.
Ambassador Shen stated that all of this helps Turkish entrepreneurs to stand on the ground and also creates job opportunities in Egypt. It contributes to Egypt’s exports. It contributes to strengthening Egypt’s industrial and commercial capacities. So, here is not a loss-loss model or even a gain-loss model, but a win-win. It is definitely a win-win relationship. We are proud of all our textile companies in Turkey that came and grew here, and Mr. President and Mr. Minister have expressed their support and welcome to this effort many times.
Ambassador Shen referred to his participation in the “Cairo Fashion and Textile” exhibition the day before yesterday, indicating that he visited Turkish companies at the exhibition and met friends there and continued:
Many of these companies are attending this exhibition for the first time. There are many similar exhibitions and we have intensive investments in the textile sector in Cairo, Port Said, Ismailia, Damietta, Burj Al Arab and the industrial zone of 6th of October City.
These investors are doing their business very well with the Egyptian authorities and Egyptian officials. These companies produce primarily for export. These products make great contributions to both the Egyptian economy and the Turkish economy and our companies.
They provide employment opportunities for Egypt, and Turkish investors and businessmen in the textile industry in Egypt play a leading role in pushing the textile industry forward. I can see that Egypt’s future in the textile sector is very bright, with the support of Turkey and Turkey’s partnership. As I said, this is on a win-win basis.
Regarding the ongoing aggression on the Gaza Strip and the extent of Turkish-Egyptian coordination in order to find an effort to stop this aggression, Ambassador Salih Mutlu Şen said that humanitarian aid is a very important priority for Turkey. Mr. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Mr. Minister of Foreign Affairs, Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), Red Crescent and civil society organizations give priority to this.
This is the area where our organizations are making a great effort. Turkey is at the forefront in terms of aid to Gaza.
He said that Egypt is the main source of aid to Gaza because it is adjacent to Gaza, and it is undoubtedly the supplier of humanitarian aid. As for third countries, Turkey is the first country in the world in terms of humanitarian aid, according to UN statistics and Israeli statistics. Statistics indicate that Israel is obstructing an important source of aid from all over the world because it controls its gates.
The percentage of humanitarian aid statistics is 32% of the total aid, but unfortunately the aid was stopped as a result of the illegal and bloody Israeli operation at the Rafah border gate. Egypt has taken a right position that this crossing should belong to the Palestinians. In order not to add the legitimacy of Israel’s illegal presence there, no longer cooperates with the passage of humanitarian aid through the Rafah border crossing.
And they are right in this position because controlling that gate from the Gaza side is a right for the Palestinians, and the Palestinian flag must fly there. Therefore, there is no alternative to the Rafah crossing. It is the most important crossing in terms of humanitarian aid.
In fact, there is an obstacle in this regard as we deliver our aid to Gaza through the Rafah border gate in cooperation with Egypt.
Up until that moment, that is, until the illegal and unlawful Israeli operation at the Rafah border crossing, the Turkish and Egyptian authorities, and all the Egyptian authorities, showed great cooperation and serious cooperation.
Our ships come to the port of El Arish twice a month. We evacuated approximately 400 patients from our Palestinian and Gazan brothers from the El Arish military airport with their companions. Likewise, with the support of the Egyptian authorities, we evacuated many of our citizens, citizens of the neighboring Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and citizens of some sister countries from the Rafah border crossing. Unfortunately, all of this has stopped as a result of this Israeli operation. Although a certain amount of humanitarian aid passes from Egypt through the Kerem Shalom crossing, most of it is UN aid. We are currently in intensive talks with the Egyptian authorities and the UN authorities. We continue our contacts with the Disaster Management Authority, the Red Crescent and NGOs. The discussions are about how much expansion there can be? Can Kerem Shalom be used? Now there must be a broad consensus to open the Rafah border crossing. As you know, the consensus is related to the ceasefire. So we are currently in a state of waiting. Our aid organizations can send some aid from Jordan. However, this is still not an alternative to the Rafah border crossing. We were shipping flour from the port of Ashdod to northern Gaza. However, I must say that there is a pause in this matter.
Ambassador Salih Mutlu Shen concluded his speech by saying that in the end we want to resume our humanitarian assistance by opening the Rafah border crossing, and also – the Philadelphi corridor which is a very important part of the equation – with the ceasefire negotiations reaching an end. We want to make all our possible contributions during the recovery period. We also want to strongly support the reconstruction. Our partnership with Egypt is our main foundation here. In other words, there has been excellent cooperation between Egypt and Turkey regarding humanitarian assistance so far. We have thanked the Egyptian authorities on this issue in every forum. We are confident in the support and cooperation of the Egyptian authorities in the coming period. However, there is a situation, a dead end. There is a dead end regarding both the Rafah border crossing and the ceasefire negotiations.
Egypt has done its best. There have been many meetings with Qatar in both Cairo and Doha. However, no result has been achieved. As you know, Turkey has made proposals to all parties for a ceasefire, and our Minister and other relevant authorities have also made proposals to their interlocutors in this direction. We have always been the party that urges the achievement of a ceasefire.
