Egypt says rapprochement with Türkiye is in interest of whole region

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) – Egypt on Wednesday said its rapprochement with Ankara is in the interest of the whole region.

The rapprochement process started as there was a desire both on our side and Ankara to de-escalate the tension in bilateral relations, said Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry during an exclusive interview he gave to major Greek broadcaster SKAI TV.

“Reducing tension and building stable relations between Ankara and Cairo will positively impact the people of the region. Consequently, it will be in the whole region's interest,” he said.

Last month, Cavusoglu and Shoukry met in the Egyptian capital Cairo, where the two discussed bilateral relations and regional and international issues, and agreed to maximize diplomatic ties.

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

Diplomatic relations between Türkiye and Egypt have been at the level of charges d'affaires on both sides since Egypt's 2013 military coup, which overthrew then-President Mohammed Morsi.

Answering a question, Shoukry, however, added that better relations with Ankara would not harm Cairo’s relations with Athens, which he called historical and special.

He remarked that strong Greek-Egyptian relations opened a window for improved cooperation in other fields, particularly in energy.

Shoukry also expressed support for the thaw in Turkish-Greek relations.

Better relations between Ankara and Athens would mean increased cooperation in numerous domains, including commerce, investments, and handling the crises, he said, adding that this situation would contribute to the prosperity and stability of the region.

In reference to the latest escalation between Palestinians and Israelis, Shoukry urged the concerned parties to restore calm and avoid further escalatory actions.

Greece was among the first countries to convey condolences and offer aid on Feb. 6, when twin quakes struck 11 southern Turkish provinces.

Likewise, Türkiye was the first country to offer condolences and aid following a Feb. 28 train accident in northern Greece that left at least 57 people dead.

After the accident, Türkiye allowed the transfer of a Greek prisoner to Greece to attend his son's funeral.

On March 20, Cavusoglu and Dendias met in Brussels and agreed that Türkiye will support Greece’s campaign for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council in 2025-2026 and Athens will support Ankara’s candidacy for secretary general of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

More recently, last week, Greek Defense Minister Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos visited Türkiye and met his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar.

In a separate development, Dendias met Israeli Ambassador Noam Katz.

Bilateral relations, current regional developments as well as the holy sites in Jerusalem were discussed at the meeting, he said on Twitter.