Turkish FM is scheduled to visit Egypt soon - reports

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: agencies
17 Mar 2023 22:35

Attempts at normalization between Ankara and Cairo have been gradually improving

Vehicles pass under billboards showing Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi with Arabic which reads, "Our common goal is Egypt: our dream and hope" at a new highway in Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023 (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu is set to visit Egypt in light of recent attempts at gradual normalization between Ankara and Cairo, the Turkish Foreign Ministry told Sputnik.

"Mr. Minister [Cavusoglu] will pay an official visit to Egypt at the invitation of the foreign minister of this country, Sameh Shoukry. During the upcoming negotiations we are planning to fully analyze bilateral relations and exchange opinions on regional and international issues," the ministry's statement read.

Egyptian Minister Shoukry visited the areas afflicted by the earthquake in southern turkey back in late February. President El-Sisi had offered his condolences to his Turkish counterpart as well.

Read more: Egypt sends aid to Syria, Turkey

El-Sisi had met with Erdogan for the first time back in November during the inauguration ceremony of the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Doha. Back then the Egyptian president’s office reported on the meeting saying that the presidents had agreed to begin improving their rapport.

After former Muslim-brotherhood-affiliated President Mohamed Morsi was ousted back in 2013, Turkish-Egyptian ties started deteriorating. Erdogan back then had denounced the Egyptian military for cracking down on the supporters of the ousted president. Bilateral relations between the two countries were significantly downplayed back then.

Erdogan and El-Sisi have been sparring since the military's 2013 ousting of President Mohammad Morsi.

After the so-called 2011 Arab Spring in several Middle Eastern countries, Istanbul became a refuge for Islamist opposition activists, especially for Egyptians linked to Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood.

However, Turkey and Egypt had begun talks to restore relations back in 2021. Despite the relative improvement in relations between the two countries after meetings held at the level of deputy foreign ministers, progress was slow and the two countries did not agree to exchange ambassadors.