New era begins between Turkey, Egypt: FM Çavuşoğlu

ANKARA

A new era has started between Turkey and Egypt and mutual visits may come to the agenda, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has said.

Speaking to reporters on April 13, he announced that a meeting will be held between the two countries at the level of deputy foreign ministers, but the planning is ongoing, and the date is not clear yet.

Ankara and Cairo have recently exchanged positive signals on establishing contacts and dialogue. Turkey on March 12 said it had held its first diplomatic contacts with Egypt since President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ousted the country’s former leader, Mohamed Morsi, in 2013.

Çavuşoğlu spoke over the phone with his Egyptian counterpart last week and exchanged greetings on the approaching Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The move was preceded by another statement from Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, thanking Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for Ankara’s efforts during its term presidency of the Developing-8 (D-8) Organization.

The Ankara-Cairo relationship was seriously hit by a military coup staged by Sisi in July 2013, as Turkey strongly reacted to the ousting of Morsi with strongly-worded statements from President Erdoğan, who was prime minister at the time. Egypt expelled Turkey’s ambassador and Ankara downgraded relations in a tit-for-tat move, further fraying ties.

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.