A delegation of representatives of the youth of the 25 January revolution is to visit Turkey on Friday, aiming to gain insights into how the country runs its political and economic affairs. The delegation is visiting at the invitation of the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research, and in coordination with the Turkish Foreign Ministry.

The visit, which will last until Wednesday, aims to give the Egyptian youth an up-close look at the political and economic systems in Turkey, and to give them the chance to observe the electoral campaigning process as Turkish political parties head into parliamentary elections slated for 12 June.

The delegation was invited in March, during Turkish President Abdullah Gul’s visit to Cairo, where he met with a group of revolutionary youth. The visit coincides with Egypt’s preparations for the parliamentary elections slated for September.

The Egyptian delegation will be meeting with government officials and representatives of Turkish civil society organizations. They are also expected to meet with President Gul, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Finance and Economy Ali Babacan, as well as a number of MPs from different parties and representatives of major political parties in Turkey.

Meanwhile, Egyptian ambassador to Turkey Abdel Rahman Salah al-Din welcomed the invitation of Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmed Davutoglu to the delegation, pointing to Turkey's supportive role towards the Egyptian revolution since the very beginning. He also pointed to the fact that President Gul was the first head of state to visit Egypt following the revolution.

Salah al-Din said he hoped the visit would help demonstrate the distinguished relations between Egypt and Turkey, which would serve as a model for relations between Middle Eastern and African countries.