Egypt and Turkey are considering creating a joint trade route linking the coastal cities of Alexandria and Mersin, said Mostafa Mekkawy, Egypt's commercial representative in Istanbul. Mekkawy, who is visiting Turkey accompanied by a delegation from the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce, told Al-Masry Al-Youm Wednesday that the route would aim to facilitate and speed up the transportation of goods between the countries. The route would help Egypt's trade to Eastern Europe and countries that border the Black Sea. It would also help Turkish trade in northern and eastern Africa. Mekkawy said Turkey had asked Egypt to speed up a customs exemptions plan for imported Turkish cars. Both countries had previously agreed to gradually cut custom fees for Turkey's automobile exports to Egypt by 10 percent until they are custom-free by 2019, he said. Mekkawy said negotiations will be held soon to resolve pending agreements on agricultural and textile exports. Ahmed Hassan, deputy chairman of the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce, said Turkish investments in Egypt are concentrated in the steel and textile sectors, and these investments could be expanded to other industries. Translated from the Arabic Edition
