Egypt, Turkey ink agreements on cooperation

Egypt's Prime Minister Essam Sharaf (R) and Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan attend a joint news conference at the Prime Minister's office in Cairo September 13, 2011.

CAIRO - Egypt signed Tuesday 11 cooperation agreements with Turkey in different fields during the visit of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the country.

Erdogan's visit aims at investing in the political and strategic weight of the two countries in the region to achieve development and stability that serve the interests of Egyptian and Turkish people, official MENA news agency said.

Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf discussed with Erdogan mechanisms of increasing trade volume between the two nations from three billion US dollars annually to five billion dollars, and the Turkish investments in Egypt from 1.5 billion dollars to five billion dollars in the coming years.

The agreements included cooperation in technology, communication, petroleum and natural resources, education and media.

Erdogan and Sharaf signed a declaration over establishing supreme council for strategic cooperation.

Erdogan is on a tour to Egypt, Tunisia and Libya, which witnessed protests that toppled the long-ruling regimes, in a bid to strengthen relations with the three countries.

Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a news conference with Egypt's Prime Minister Essam Sharaf at the Prime Minister's building in Cairo September 13, 2011.