Turkish, Egyptian top diplomats discuss normalization road map

ANKARA

Alamy Photo

Turkish and Egyptian top diplomats have elaborated on the further steps as part of the ongoing normalization of bilateral ties after the two counties’ leaders agreed to exchange ambassadors after a decade of strained relations.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry called his Turkish counterpart, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, on June 11 for his appointment as the Turkish top diplomat in the new government formed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan after the May elections.

The call addressed regional and bilateral issues, particularly the normalization process. Shoukry and Fidan exchanged views on the steps to be taken in the coming period, including mutual visits between the two sides’ authorities.

Erdoğan and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi have recently agreed to increase the level of diplomatic representation back to the ambassadorial level after almost 10 years. The procedures for the appointment of the envoys have begun.

According to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, Shoukry expressed his hope to work together to continue the development of bilateral relations between Egypt and Türkiye to return them to normal.

The Turkish Foreign Minister thanked his counterpart for reaching out and emphasized the importance of moving forward to restore full relations between the two countries.

The ties between Türkiye and Egypt deteriorated after el-Sissi toppled the country’s former president, Mohammed Morsi, in a coup after only a year in office in 2013.

Since then, ties between Türkiye and Egypt have been carried out at the lower level of charge d’affaires. During this period, brief meetings were also held on various occasions between the two countries’ foreign ministries.

Ankara and Cairo have exchanged positive signals since 2021 in an attempt to restore relations after years of political estrangement.

The first round of exploratory talks was held in Cairo in May 2021 upon an invitation from Egypt. On Sept. 8, 2021, diplomats from both countries held a second round of exploratory talks in Ankara as part of efforts to normalize relations, but the parties had not achieved much progress.

The ice-breaker moment took place in Qatar during the inauguration of the World Cup, where Erdoğan and Sisi shook hands and held a brief meeting about the ties. The earthquakes of February that killed 50,000 people in 11 provinces in Türkiye also pledged an opportunity for the ties as Cairo sent humanitarian aid and teams and dispatched Shoukry to the earthquake-hit zone.