Shoukry, new Turkish FM affirm the continuity of normalization between Egypt and Turkey

Ahram Online , Sunday 11 Jun 2023

Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sameh Shoukry, and his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, affirmed that normalising relations between the two countries should continue.

Egypt s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sameh Shoukry, and his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan
Egypt s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sameh Shoukry, and his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan

 

Shoukry called Fidan on Sunday to congratulate him on assuming the post and wish him success, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

Egypt is keen to work jointly with Turkey to continue developing and normalising their relations, Shoukry said during the call.

For his part, Fidan also stressed the importance of advancing the path of normalisation with Egypt.

Shoukry and Fidan also discussed cooperation and exchanging visits at various levels. They also discussed other issues of mutual concern, the statement added.

Fidan, a veteran diplomat and the director of the Turkish National Intelligence Organization from 2010 to 2023, was appointed as foreign minister in the new cabinet of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. He succeeded Mevlut Cavusoglu, who had been in the post since 2015.

Following Erdogan’s reelection late in May, he and Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi immediately upgraded diplomatic ties between the two countries and exchanged ambassadors after a decade of strained relations.

Additionally, they expressed a desire to foster economic cooperation and coordination on regional issues, including matters concerning Palestine, Libya and Syria.

Last month, Cairo and Ankara reached an agreement on a timeline for upgrading diplomatic relations, as announced by Shoukry in a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu during an official visit to Ankara.

Over the past year, Cairo and Ankara held rounds of talks to normalise relations after both countries broke off diplomatic relations in 2013.

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