FMs of Turkiye, Egypt confirm new phase of cooperation

Turkiye’s Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, met with his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shoukry, for official talks on Saturday, 18 March.

The meeting is deemed a vital step to mend political ties between the two countries and is the first of its kind in over a decade.

“In the meetings, all aspects of our bilateral relations will be discussed, and views on regional and international issues will be exchanged,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.

During the joint press conference, Shoukry announced that his country is working to normalize relations with Turkiye and start a new phase of cooperation.

“We have solid ground, and we are confident that we will restore relations with Turkey in a strong way,” he added.

The Egyptian foreign minister also highlighted the desire to restore cooperation with Turkiye on all political and economic levels.

In addition, Cavusoglu said that his country is planning to exchange ambassadors with Egypt once again after Egypt expelled the Turkish ambassador on 23 November 2013 while recalling its own due to repeated criticism by the Turkish president following the ouster of Mohamed Morsi.

In a statement on Friday, Abu Zeid, the spokesman for Egypt’s foreign ministry, said that Cavusoglu’s visit marks “the inauguration of the path of restoring normal relations between the two countries.”

Following the devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Syria and Turkiye, Sameh Shoukry visited Turkiye’s Adana and Mersin provinces, the first time an Egyptian foreign minister visited Turkiye in over a decade.