Turkish FM Mevlut Cavusoglu stated that Turkey is seeking a state visit to Egypt as a chance to jumpstart diplomatic ties. The Foreign Minister added that he hopes to discuss with Egyptian ambassadors after ten years.

Turkish FM State Visit Restores Cooperation with Egypt

These were the comment made Saturday at a joint press conference with the Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry while visiting Cairo. Ten years ago, ties between the two Arab countries were severed, reported Middle East Eye.

Cavusoglu added that Ankara is moving with steps to have normal relations with Egypt. Saying efforts will be made not to have another break in ties again. Shoukry says discussions about restoring ambassadors when it's the right time and the positive impact it will have.

A month ago, the Egyptian official was in Turkey to show Cairo stood with Ankara and Damascus affected by the killer quake. It took 50,000 lives in both countries as the worst natural disaster, noted Arab News.

The bilateral ties between Ankara and Cairo were not good for over ten years because of their differences. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey did not acknowledge the ascension of Abdel Fattah el-Sisi as the Egyptian leader who replaced Mohamed Morsi. Morsi is the first leader elected in free elections, and an ally in 2013, cited DW.

He said that Erdogan and Sisi want to resolve the separation of ties between Ankara and Cairo to the highest levels of diplomatic ties as the goal of the visits.

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Turkey, Egypt To Mend Diplomatic Relations

It was mentioned the two countries had sent their senior foreign ministry officials to explore the possibility of restoring ties amidst the differences that brought it on.

Last May 2021, the Turkish delegation went to Egypt to thresh out what would be needed to discuss normalization. This coincided with a greater diplomatic effort by the Turkish government of Erdogan to less tension with Cairo, Israel, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

During November last year, the leaders of Ankara and Cairo had shaken hands in Qatar, which Egypt saw as the thaw in the ten-year chill in relations.

Turkish officials had told the outlet that the Egyptian government wanted the handshake with Erdogan as the final proof that Sisi was the legitimate leader of Egypt. Ankara's resistance has stopped, and preferred a positive approach.

Issues To Sort Toward Reconciliation

These first steps to normalizing interactions with the two Arab countries have a few points that need to be settled. It would be the contest on who has the right in Libya to develop the gas-rich Eastern Mediterranean and the Muslim gas-rich Eastern Mediterranean which Cairo calls extremists.

Both still kept their economic ties intact even as diplomacy was in the gutter. Proof of this is the fact Ankara imported $4bn worth of Egyptian products in 2022.

The reconciliation of their mutual interests comes about with the economic turmoil that Cairo is suffering with foreign currency as deficient. Last month Cairo said that Turkey plopped in $500m capital investments.

The Turkish FM says that diplomatic ties with Egypt, which is the subject of a state visit, are crucial for the two Arab states.

Related Article: Egypt FM Realigns Relations with Syria, Turkey After Long Hiatus