Türkiye, Egypt agree on reinstating ambassadors as ties improve

Egypt President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed on “the immediate start of upgrading diplomatic relations, exchanging ambassadors,” Egypt’s presidency said in a statement on May 29.

Sisi spoke with Erdogan in a phone call to congratulate him on his presidential win, The Arab Weekly reports.

Egypt’s foreign minister Sameh Shoukry visited Türkiye in April and met his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu. The two parties agreed then on a specific time frame to raise the level of diplomatic relations and to prepare for a summit between Sisi and Erdogan.

Cavusoglu said in April that the presidents might meet in person again after Türkiye’s May 14 election.

Egypt and Türkiye withdrew ambassadors as the tension between them flared following the Egyptian military’s 2013 ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi amid mass protest against his divisive one year of rule.

Türkiye recently abandoned its critical approach toward Egypt and Erdogan and Sisi were photographed shaking hands in November during the soccer World Cup in Qatar.

The rapprochement between the two countries is part of Türkiye’s effort to build bridges with regional countries and end its international isolation amid an economic downturn. Türkiye has recently also repaired its ties with Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.