Egypt, Türkiye restore diplomatic relations after a decade

By Sama Mousa On Jul 4, 2023

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri shaking hands with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in Cairo last April.

Egypt and Türkiye have restored diplomatic relations by appointing ambassadors to each other’s capitals, both foreign ministries announced on Tuesday.

Consultations between senior foreign ministry official in Cairo and in Ankara started in 2021, when Türkiye was seeking better ties with Egypt, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and other middle eastern countries.

The normalisation of ties between the capital cities was accelerated when Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan shook hands in Doha during the World Cup in 2022. In May, both presidents agreed to exchange ambassadors.

Amr Elhamamy was chosen to be the Egyptian ambassador in Ankara, and Salih Mutlu Sen will become Türkiye’s ambassador in Cairo, said the Egyptian foreign ministry.

The countries have not had ambassadors since 2013, after Egypt expelled Türkiye’s ambassador, accusing Ankara of backing organisations bent on undermining the country.