For the first time in ten years, Egypt and Turkiye have named ambassadors to each other’s capitals to reestablish normal diplomatic ties, their foreign ministries said on Tuesday.
After Mohamed Mursi, a supporter of Ankara and the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, was overthrown by Egypt’s then-army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in 2013, ties between the two countries deteriorated. Turkiye’s ambassador was expelled from Egypt, and Ankara was charged with supporting groups aiming to destabilise the nation.
Since then, they have been without ambassadors, despite the fact that al-Sisi, the current president of Egypt, and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish counterpart, decided to restore them in May.
According to a joint statement from the foreign ministries, Amr Elhamamy will represent Egypt in Ankara and Salih Mutlu Sen will represent Turkiye in Cairo.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated after the announcement that the appointments represented a significant turning point in the normalisation of ties.
“Our relations will now swiftly advance in all areas, including politics and the economy. This is the president’s and the government’s wish,” Fidan said during a press conference.
As Turkiye pursued closer connections with Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Israel, and Saudi Arabia, talks between senior foreign ministry officials in Ankara and Cairo started in 2021.
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