Turkey eyes better ties with Egypt, Syria in future

Turkey, which patched up strained ties with Israel and Russia, aims to normalize relations with Egypt and even rebuild ties in future with Syria, where it has launched a cross-border offensive, the prime minister said on Friday.

"God willing, there will be normalization with Egypt and Syria," Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told a televised briefing with ministers. "Turkey has started a serious attempt to normalize ties with Egypt and Syria."

He did not give a timeline for restoring ties with either of the Arab nations. Any improvement would mark a further shift in its regional foreign policy that has shown of signs of increasing pragmatism, analysts say.