Last Updated On: May 07 2021 12:19 Gmt+3
Turkey and Egypt will hold further meetings after making progress in two days of “frank” discussions aimed at normalising relations, according to a joint statement on Thursday.
Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Önal began talks with his Egyptian counterpart Hamdi Sanad Loza in Cairo on Wednesday, the first high-level meeting between the two countries since 2013.
Relations between Turkey and Egypt have been strained over a range of regional issues, including maritime borders and Ankara’s support for the Muslim Brotherhood. The discussions were frank and in-depth. They addressed bilateral issues as well as a number of regional issues, in particular the situation in Libya, Syria, Iraq, and the need to achieve peace and security in the eastern Mediterranean region, the deputy foreign ministers said.
Egypt, Turkey end talks, Turkish FM to visit Saudi Arabia
On Tuesday, Erdogan spoke by phone with Saudi King Salman, although no details of those talks were released.
Friday 07/05/2021
Turkish Foreign Ministry Deputy Sedat Onal, meets with Hamdi Sanad Loza, Egyptian deputy foreign minister, in Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday, May 5, 2021. (AP)
CAIRO – With no clear progress, Egyptian and Turkish officials concluded Thursday two days of talks in Cairo aimed at resetting ties between the two regional powers. In a joint statement, both sides vowed to evaluate the outcome of their first round of consultations before agreeing on the next move.
The talks were chaired by Hamdi Loza, Egypt’s deputy foreign minister and his Turkish counterpart Sedat Onal. Diplomats from both countries said they had discussed bilateral relations and several regional issues, including the situation in Libya, Syria, Iraq and the need to achieve peace and security in the eastern Mediterranean region. They hai
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday said Turkey wanted to reinforce efforts to restore the historic friendship with Egypt, after the two regional rivals held their first direct talks in eight years.
Ankara and Cairo have been sparring since the Egyptian military s 2013 overthrow of the late Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, who Erdogan backed personally.
A Turkish delegation headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal held two days of talks this week in Cairo that both sides described as frank and in-depth .
Erdogan promised that dialogue would continue. A new process [with Egypt] has started, he told reporters after attending Friday prayers at an Istanbul mosque.
CAIRO
With no clear progress, Egyptian and Turkish officials concluded Thursday two days of talks in Cairo aimed at resetting ties between the two regional powers. In a joint statement, both sides vowed to evaluate the outcome of their first round of consultations before agreeing on the next move.
Egypt and Turkey have been at loggerheads since the Egyptian military’s 2013 ouster of President Mohammed Morsi, an Islamist who hailed from the Muslim Brotherhood, a group supported by Turkey. Egypt has designated the Brotherhood a terrorist organization.
The talks were chaired by Hamdi Loza, Egypt’s deputy foreign minister, and his Turkish counterpart Sedat Onal. Diplomats from both countries said they had discussed bilateral relations and several regional issues, including the situation in Libya, Syria, Iraq, and the need to achieve peace and security in the eastern Mediterranean region. They hailed the deliberations as “frank” and “in-depth”.