Ambassador Abdel Rahman Salah, Egypt's ambassador in Turkey, confirmed Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Prime Minister of Turkey, will visit Egypt. Egypt will be one of the first countries he visits after his success in the elections. His visit reflects the strength of Egyptian-Turkish relations. Salah said the visit will be in the second week of July, and the Prime Minister will oversee a number of deals being brokered for strategic cooperation between the two countries. During first meeting of the Turkish-Egyptian Council during Erdogan's visit to Cairo, he is expected to announce the star of maritime transport operations from the Mersin, a Turkish Mediterranean port, to Alexandria. He will also sign several other agreements. Ambassador Abdul Rahman Salah said Erdogan will visit a number of ministers and business people on his first visit to Egypt since the Revolution. He added that a delegation of Egyptian diplomats visited Ankara last week under the chairmanship of Ahmed Fathallah, the first undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ambassador Mohammad Qasim, assistant Foreign Minister for Arab Affairs. Salah explained there are a number of projects that could involve Turkish investment, including a project to build one million housing units. Huseyin Avni, the Turkish ambassador to Egypt, said the purpose of Erdogan's visit is to attract foreign investment in Egypt. Zeki Ekinci, President of the Turkish Businessmen Association said there are about 205 Turkish companies in Egypt with investments amounting to $ 1.5 billion. These companies provide jobs for more than 50 thousand people. He pointed out that the volume of trade between the two countries exceeded 302 billion dollars in 2009 / 2010, despite the global crisis. Ekinci said after the January 25 Revolution, Egypt is in a state of major transformation on political, economic, and social fronts. He said Egypt is seeking to occupy a prominent place in the region and the international arena, which makes Turkish businessmen believe the future of Egypt is safe for investment.
