Ankara, Cairo to raise diplomatic ties to highest level 'as soon as possible': Turkish foreign minister

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA (AA) — Türkiye and Egypt will raise diplomatic relations to highest level "as soon as possible," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Saturday.

Speaking in Cairo, where he was visiting upon the invitation of his counterpart Sameh Shoukry, Cavusoglu said: "Shoukry told (you) that we are discussing what we can do about the reappointment of ambassadors. We had the opportunity to evaluate which steps we would take and when."

"I am sure that we will have the opportunity to raise diplomatic ties to highest level as soon as possible," Cavusoglu said at the news conference alongside Shoukry, following talks on bilateral relations, along with regional and international issues.

Diplomatic relations between Türkiye and Egypt are maintained at the level of charges d'affaires on both sides since Egypt's 2013 military coup which overthrew late President Mohammed Morsi.

Cavusoglu is the first foreign minister to visit Egypt from Türkiye after 11 years.

The minister said he had "frank" talks with Shoukry, stressing that mechanisms between Türkiye and Cairo will be revived.

Ankara and Cairo need to work "more closely" for the region, Cavusoglu said, adding: "We will develop our cooperation on regional issues as well."

He also underlined that Ankara would never forget the support given by Cairo after last month's powerful earthquakes.

"I especially would like to thank the Egyptian government and people once again for the support they gave us after the earthquake in Türkiye," he added.

On Feb. 6, magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes struck 11 provinces — Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Elazig, Hatay, Gaziantep, Kahramanmaras, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa — in southern Türkiye, claiming the lives of nearly 50,000 people.

Condolences have poured in from around the world expressing solidarity with Türkiye, with many countries sending rescue teams and aid, including Egypt.

After the quakes, Shoukry visited quake-hit Adana and Mersin provinces, and his visit to Türkiye was the first by an Egyptian foreign minister in more than a decade.

Meanwhile, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was among the leaders who made a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan following the earthquakes, offering his condolences for the quake victims.

For a possible future meeting between the presidents, Cavusoglu said he and Shoukry were making preparations, adding that Erdogan and al-Sisi might meet after Türkiye's upcoming elections, scheduled for May 14.

For his part, Shoukry said that the development of Turkish-Egyptian relations is in the interest of both countries.