For first time in ten years, Egypt, Turkiye appoint ambassadors

Cairo: In the most recent indication of improving relations, Egypt and Turkiye announced on Tuesday that they had appointed ambassadors for the first time in ten years.

Statements were issued by both Cairo and Ankara announcing “the upgrading of diplomatic relations between them to the level of ambassadors.”

Amr Elhamamy was appointed by Egypt as its new ambassador in Ankara, and Salih Mutlu Sen was appointed by Turkiye as its representative in Cairo.

The two foreign ministries said the move “aims at the re-normalization of relations between the two countries and reflects the mutual will to develop bilateral relations.”

The appointments signal a reconciliation between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Arab News reported.

The move was praised in a statement released on Tuesday by the foreign ministry of Saudi Arabia.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s welcoming of the raising the level of diplomatic relations between the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Republic of Turkey, to the level of ambassadors,” it said.

The 2013 ouster of Egypt's late President Mohamed Morsi, who was backed by Erdogan's government, caused tensions between the two nations.

The unrest in Libya, which borders Egypt to the west, caused tensions to worsen.

A disagreement also developed in 2019 as Turkiye and the Libyan Government of National Accord agreed to a treaty on maritime sovereignty in the Mediterranean in November.

When a Turkish group visited Egypt in May 2021 to talk about potential normalisation, there were early signs of a thaw.

Erdogan and El-Sisi first met at the opening of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar in November 2022.

Along with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, the two presidents clasped hands in what has been called a historic occasion.

Following a terrible earthquake that struck Syria and Turkiye in February, the two presidents talked on the phone. Sameh Shoukry, the Egyptian minister of foreign affairs, travelled to Syria and Turkiye to express Cairo's solidarity.

El-Sisi called Erdogan in May of this year to congratulate him on winning the presidential election.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that this step “aims to establish normal relations between the two countries once again and demonstrates their mutual determination to work toward enhancing their bilateral relations for the best interest of both the Turkish and Egyptian peoples.”

Shoukry called Hakan Fidan in Turkiye in June to congratulate him on accepting the role.

Turkiye imported $4 billion worth of Egyptian goods in 2022, making it the biggest importer.