Egypt's Minister of Trade and Industry Ahmed Samir and Turkish Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır met in Ankara on Thursday to discuss ways to enhance joint industrial cooperation. This came on the sidelines of Samir's visit to Ankara from 1-3 August, which marked the first visit of an Egyptian Trade Minister to Türkiye in a decade. The two ministers discussed the possibility of signing a joint memorandum of understanding that would cover industrial cooperation, technical expertise transfer, technical training, university education, pre-university education, industrial investment, and agricultural manufacturing. Samir also proposed establishing a mechanism for joint cooperation in manufacturing in Egypt and exporting to various countries. He noted that Egypt has a system of commercial agreements with a large number of countries and economic blocs, providing many preferential benefits to exporting companies. The ministers also discussed opportunities for technical and professional cooperation in centres of excellence and innovation. This includes the possibility of establishing a Turkish industrial zone in Egypt, as well as exchanging experiences and technologies in some industries that Egypt seeks to localise, such as the automotive industry and its supporting industries. Samir said that both sides discussed the possibility of developing a joint plan until June 2024 for priority areas and sectors for joint cooperation, especially in furniture, carpet, and chemical industries. They also explored the possibility of entering into joint industries with the Turkish side in several fields. The minister reviewed available industrial investment opportunities in Egypt, especially in areas identified by the Industry Upgrade Center as promising investment opportunities to fill local production gaps and localize industry. Samir noted the importance of cooperation between relevant bodies in standard specifications in both countries and the possibility of benefiting from Turkish industrial experience in cooperation with the Industry Upgrade Center. He also suggested reopening the Ro-Ro line between Egypt and Turkey to facilitate bilateral trade and the possibility of establishing a working group consisting of officials from both ministries to enhance cooperation and coordination in areas of mutual interest. The minister invited his Turkish counterpart to visit Cairo in the near future to follow up on the results of this visit and review future cooperation files and projects between the two countries. He also stressed the importance of developing a joint industrial cooperation plan for five years to activate the efforts of both sides regarding the food industries, pharmaceutical products, electric battery production, contributing to the needs of the Egyptian and Turkish markets and exporting to African markets under the African Continental Free Trade Agreement. Kacır expressed his country's keenness to enhance cooperation with Egypt in various fields and at all levels. He welcomed the proposal to establish a joint working group consisting of officials from both ministries to coordinate issues of mutual interest and contribute to achieving economic integration between Egypt and Turkey. He also highlighted the importance of enhancing industrial and technological cooperation between the two countries, especially as Turkey has 354 industrial zones and the industrial sector's contribution to the Turkish GDP is 27% and is worth $240bn. He also pointed out the importance of benefiting from all opportunities for joint industrial investment and cooperation in the field of new and renewable energy, including solar and wind energy.
