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ANKARA: Turkey and Egypt have appointed ambassadors to each other’s capitals for the first time in a decade to restore normal diplomatic relations.
In a joint statement released by the Turkish foreign ministry, the two governments said Turkey nominated Salih Mutlu Sen as its ambassador to Cairo and Egypt appointed Amr Elhamamy as its envoy to Ankara.
“This step aims at the renormalisation of relations between the two countries and reflects the mutual will to improve bilateral relations in the interests of the Turkish and Egyptian peoples,” the statement said.
Ties between the two countries broke down in 2013 after Egypt’s then-army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi led the ouster of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohamed Mursi, an ally of Ankara.
Egypt expelled Turkey’s ambassador and accused Ankara of backing organizations bent on undermining the country. They have not had ambassadors since.
Since 2013, the two regional rivals have faced off on multiple fronts and their leaders have verbally attacked each other publicly. Senior foreign ministry officials from the two countries have held talks since 2021.
The rapprochement efforts between Turkey and Egypt took a turn after al-Sisi and Erdogan shook hands at the World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
Saudi Arabia welcomed the restoration of diplomatic ties between Egypt and Turkey, according to a statement by the kingdom’s foreign ministry
It said that “this move will reflect positively on enhancing regional and international security and peace and on serving common interests in a way that achieves the aspirations of the countries and the people of the region.”
