dpa
Istanbul
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi on Wednesday called for a ceasefire in the besieged Gaza Strip, stressing that the two countries share a common approach to the conflict.
Al-Sissi was in the Turkish capital Ankara on Wednesday on n his first visit to the country since he took office in 2014, amid a rapprochement between the two countries.
His visit to Turkey lays the foundation for further cooperation between the two countries, al-Sissi told a joint press conference with Erdogan.
The two leaders signed deals in areas ranging from trade, energy to defence, among others, Erdogan said.
Turkey and Egypt share a common position in Gaza, which is to primarily to secure a ceasefire, Erdogan told reporters. Egypt’s al-Sissi stressed that Turkey and Egypt agree that an "immediate ceasefire” must be achieved to end what he called an "unprecedented catastrophe” in Gaza.
In the Gaza war, Egypt, alongside the US and Qatar, has been trying for months to mediate a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. However, negotiations are at a standstill.
Relations between Turkey and Egypt have been tense for years, partly due to Erdogan’s support of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, whose loyalists Egypt has been cracking down on in recent years.
In February, Erdogan visited Egypt for the first time since 2012 and spoke of a turning point in bilateral ties.