The Foreign Ministers of Türkiye and Egypt emphasized efforts on Saturday toward the full normalization of ties between the two countries and the start of a new phase of joint cooperation.

 

Türkiye Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu held talks with his Egyptian counterpart in Cairo on Saturday, the first such visit in a decade.

 

 

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shourky said the talks with his Turkish counterpart had been “honest, deep and transparent,” adding that both countries look forward to restoring full diplomatic ties.

 

 

In a joint press conference in Cairo, Shoukry and Cavusoglu said talks on the possibility of restoring ties to ambassadorial level would happen at "the appropriate time.”

 

 

Cavusoglu said Türkiye would upgrade its diplomatic relations with Egypt to ambassador level "as soon as possible".

 

 

"I'm very glad that we are taking concrete steps for normalizing relations with Egypt… We will do our best not to rupture our ties again in future," Cavusoglu said.

 

 

Earlier, Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said in a tweet on Saturday that the “discussions between the two officials will tackle a range of bilateral ties and international and regional issues of common concern," in a step towards restoring normal relations.

 

 

Shoukry received his Turkish counterpart at the foreign ministry in Cairo.

 

 

They held a closed-door meeting.

 

 

Cavusoglu arrived in Cairo on Saturday heading a delegation of Turkish officials. He was received at Cairo airport by Ambassador Ehab Nasr, Assistant Foreign Minister for European affairs, and members of the Turkish embassy in Egypt.

 

 

On Friday, Abu Zeid said the visit paves way for restoring normal relations between the two countries, and for launching dialogue.