Egypt condemns blast in Turkey’s Istanbul

Egypt has condemned ”in the strongest terms” a terrorist bombing that rocked Turkey’s Istanbul, killing 10 people and wounding 15 others in the city’s main tourist hub Sultanahmet.

In an official press release, the spokesperson for the Egyptian foreign ministry expressed Egypt’s condolences to the Turkish people and the families of the victims of other nationalities.

“Egypt reaffirms its stance calling for the unity of the international community to combat the abhorrent phenomenon that targets the stability and safety of nations worldwide, with no ethnic or religious discrimination,” the spokesperson said.

Following the bombing, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that a Syrian militant is thought to be responsible for the attack, though no group has yet claimed responsibility.

Despite tensions between Turkey and Egypt since the 2013 ouster of Egyptian Islamist Mohamed Morsi, an Erdogan ally, Turkey said on Saturday that it intends to invite Egypt to the to the 13th Summit of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul next April.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Turkish President Erdogan have not held talks since El-Sisi came to power in June 2014 due to the acrimony between the two countries.