In a move crucial for peace and development in their region, Egypt and Turkey have appointed ambassadors to each other’s capitals, according to statements by both Foreign Ministries on July 4. The two countries had withdrawn their ambassadors after severe criticism of Egypt by Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan following the ouster of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohamed Mursi from the Egyptian presidency and the coming to power of General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi tens years ago. Amr Elhamamy will become Egypt’s ambassador in Ankara, and Turkey nominated Salih Mutlu Sen to become its ambassador in Cairo, the foreign ministries said in a joint statement. This is the latest move in a normalization process that started after Sisi and Erdogan shook hands in Doha, Qatar, at the World Cup in 2022.
“From now on, our relations will continue to improve rapidly in political, economic and all other fields. This is the will of our president and government,” Türkiye’s foreign minister, Hakim Fidan, told a news conference according to Hurriyet Daily News.
Then on July 7, it was reported unofficially in the Turkish media that Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi will make his first-ever visit to Türkiye on 27 July, according to Al-Qahera News, citing Turkish media reports.
Egypt’s government backed daily, Al Ahram, reports that the move has broader strategic implications for the region. First is Libya, where the two countries had been on opposite sides in that country’s civil war. With the current ceasefire agreement, Turkey and Egypt could work to stabilize the situation even further. Economically it opens the door to further cooperation between two of the largest economies in the region, both of which are undergoing rapid economic development.
Also, Egypt is considering improving relations with Iran through the mediation, in part, by Qatar, which served as the mediator between Türkiye and Egypt, but also with Iraq and Oman. Quoting diplomatic sources, Al Ahram reports that Egypt is contemplating “a shift in its relations with Iran.” Iran and Egypt broke off relations in 1979 after the overthrow of the Shah of Iran. These sources confirmed that “there have been talks and mediation from both Iraq and Oman for some time” and that the rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia (brokered by China) will “facilitate the chances'’ for ambassadorial relations between Cairo and Tehran. However, the source added that “bilateral issues'’ will have to be agreed on before such a step is taken, mainly involving “security issues and “religious matters.”
