Azernews.Az

The Turkish Embassy in Cairo has hosted an event discussing Egypt-NATO relations and the upcoming NATO Contact Point role that Türkiye and Italy will share, Azernews reports, citing Yeni Safak.

The event, held on Friday at the embassy residence and titled NATO's Mission: Its Past, Present, and Partnership with Egypt, provided an overview of NATO's history, current operations, and cooperation with Egypt, including potential future projects and partnerships.

Türkiye's Ambassador to Cairo Salih Mutlu Sen, and Italy's Ambassador to Cairo Michele Quaroni spoke at the event, with the NATO Secretariat also participating remotely via video conference from Brussels.

During the event, attendees discussed the NATO Southern Neighbourhood Action Plan, which was adopted at the 2024 NATO Washington Summit.

Ambassador Sen emphasized Türkiye's role in strengthening ties between NATO and Egypt, particularly as the country prepares to jointly assume the NATO Contact Point Embassy responsibility with Italy in 2025 and 2026.

Speaking to Anadolu, Sen said the move also coincides with the centennial anniversary of diplomatic relations between Türkiye and Egypt.

Egypt is currently a NATO partner and engages in political and scientific dialogue with the alliance, Sen noted, adding that they aim to contribute to increasing public awareness of this relationship.

"Our contribution to developing more fruitful and effective relations between NATO, where Türkiye is a key member, and Egypt will naturally support our bilateral relations as well.

“We are a long-standing and founding member of NATO. We are aligned with NATO's strategic vision and objectives in the areas of peace and security. Therefore, including Egypt's contribution within NATO's vision is important for regional security and stability.

"Egypt is a country that plays a significant role in the security and stability of the Middle East. In fact, we can say that Egypt's security and stability ensure the security and stability of both the Middle East and Africa," he said.

Among the two countries sharing the Contact Point responsibility, Türkiye will serve as the lead nation in 2025, followed by Italy in 2026.