Cavusoglu and Shukri meet to work on the normalization of relations between Turkey and Egypt

13 Apr. (EUROPE PRESS) –

The Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, has met for the second time with his Egyptian counterpart, Samé Shukri, in Ankara with a view to normalizing diplomatic relations between the two nations.

“We want to fill the new page that we open with Egypt with joint projects and success stories and take concrete measures to improve relations in the coming period,” Cavusoglu said at a press conference with Shukri, the Anatolia news agency reported.

Cavusoglu has also specified that both parties will work “closer” on Libya. “We believe that our points of view are fundamentally different, but that we need to cooperate more closely,” he added.

The Turkish Foreign Minister has insisted on strengthening “the territorial integrity and political unity of Syria.” “Our priority must be the fight against terrorism and we must create the conditions for people to return safely and voluntarily,” he said.

For his part, the Egyptian Foreign Minister has assured that there is a common will regarding Libya between the two countries, while he has also agreed that “the territorial integrity of Syria” must be respected, a point of friction between the two nations. by the presence of Turkish troops in the country.

The foreign ministers of both countries have also reported that “concrete” steps have been taken to “increase the level of diplomatic representation at the ambassadorial level”, although for the moment both Cairo and Ankara continue to work for the full restoration of their ties.

The visit comes after Shukri traveled to Turkey on February 27 to show solidarity with Ankara amid the earthquake disaster that hit southern Turkey and northwestern Syria, killing more than 50,000 people.

Turkey and Egypt have had tense relations since Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan harshly criticized Egyptian President Abdelfatá al-Sisi for leading the coup against his Islamist predecessor, Mohamed Mursi, who ended up dying in jail in 2019, in what the Turkish leader described as a “blow to democracy”.