Turkey, Egypt agree to improve bilateral ties

Turkey and Egypt have agreed to improve bilateral ties, the two nations’ foreign ministers announced at a joint press conference on Thursday, Reuters reports.

 

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the two countries agreed to take concrete measures to restore diplomatic relations at ambassadorial level as soon as possible.

 

He revealed that he and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry discussed the exchange of ambassadors during their talks, and the relevant work of opening embassies is still in progress. The two sides will issue a joint statement on this issue in the next few days.

 

Shoukry said the talks with Cavusoglu was focused on strengthening bilateral ties and expanding cooperation in the political, economic and cultural fields.

 

The two sides have agreed on a “concrete timetable” for upgrading diplomatic ties, which will be announced at an appropriate time. The two ministers also discussed plans to hold a summit between the presidents of the two countries, according to Shoukry.

 

Shoukry also said that Turkey is Egypt’s largest energy importer and Egypt expects bilateral cooperation in the energy sector to be further strengthened.

 

Shoukry’s visit to Ankara is part of the joint efforts of Turkey and Egypt to improve their bilateral relations following a decade of political tensions and diplomatic rifts.

 

Their ties had turned sour since late 2013, when the two countries expelled each other’s ambassadors after former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi was ousted in July of that year and his Turkey-backed Muslim Brotherhood group was outlawed.

 

The two countries also sparred over a range of other issues, including the war in Libya, where they backed rival sides, and maritime disputes in the Eastern Mediterranean.

 

Previously, Cavusoglu visited Cairo and held talks with Shoukry in March. It was the first meeting between the two countries’ top diplomatic officials in 11 years.