Ankara: The Egyptian Commercial Service (ECS) successfully convened a high-level forum in Ankara, Turkey, to foster joint ventures between leading Egyptian and Turkish contracting firms. The initiative, titled Bridges of Partnership and Cooperation, builds on an agreement reached during the recent visit of Eng. Hassan El-Khatib, Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, to Istanbul. Its strategic aim is to combine the sectors' expertise to execute major projects in African, Arab, and post-reconstruction countries, while promoting Turkish participation in Egypt's domestic Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects.According to State Information Service Egypt, the forum brought together a distinguished Egyptian delegation, including Eng. Hamdy Shehata, Undersecretary of the Egyptian Federation for Construction and Building Contractors; Ater Hanoura, Head of the PPP Unit at the Ministry of Finance; and representatives from the National Bank of Egypt and Banque Misr. They met with leaders of the Turkish Contract ors Association and representatives of twenty major Turkish firms, in the presence of Egypt's Ambassador to Ankara, Dr. Wael Badawi.Minister Plenipotentiary Commercial Counselor Ali Basha, Head of the ECS Istanbul Office, emphasized that the two nations' extensive experience in contracting qualifies them to collaborate on major global projects, particularly in Africa and the Arab region. The Head of the Turkish Contractors Association confirmed the sector's readiness for joint work, noting that Turkish companies have implemented more than 13,000 international projects worth nearly half a trillion dollars, with Africa accounting for one-third. Ater Hanoura encouraged further Turkish participation in Egyptian PPP tenders, citing a recent Turkish bid for a water treatment project as a promising example.Concluding the forum, Dr. Abdelaziz El-Sherif, First Undersecretary and Head of the ECS, underscored the importance of building mutually beneficial partnerships between the Egyptian and Turkish construction se ctors as a model for enhancing trade in services alongside trade in goods, which has already reached nearly $10 billion between the two countries.