Türkiye, Egypt pledge to further develop ties

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry traveled to Türkiye on Feb. 27 in a show of solidarity after the Feb. 6 earthquake disaster, marking the first visit in a decade of strained ties between Ankara and Cairo following the 2013 ouster of the former president of the Arabic country, Mohamed Morsi.

“Our visit [to Türkiye] is a message of friendship and solidarity,” Shoukry told reporters in a joint press statement with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, in the southern province of Mersin.

“We, as the Egyptian government and the Egyptian people, wholeheartedly believe that Türkiye will overcome this as soon as possible. It is a great disaster,” Shoukry said. “We will continue to do our best to help,” he added.

The people of both countries have expectations about the future, the Egyptian minister said, adding, “ Our wish is to restore relations to their former level.”

For his part, Çavuşoğlu said: “We open new pages in our relations with Egypt,”

The minister welcomed Shoukry’s visit to Türkiye and said it was “extremely important and meaningful.