Turkish Trade Minister Mehmet Muş stated on Monday, ahead of a Turkish delegation's visit to Cairo this week, that the country wants to enhance its economic relations with Egypt, while also working to mend diplomatic ties between the two nations. Relations between Turkey and Egypt have soured due to Egypt hosting leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood, who are accused of committing crimes in Egypt and are wanted by the Egyptian justice system. Recently, Turkey has been focused on improving its relations with Egypt and other Gulf Arab countries. Ankara is sending a delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal to Cairo this week to discuss the restoration of relations.
In mid-April, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu announced that relations with Egypt had entered a new phase, marking the latest indication of attempts to reconcile with Cairo. The Turkish state-run Anadolu Agency quoted Çavuşoğlu saying, "A new phase has begun in relations between Turkey and Egypt, and there may be reciprocal visits and discussions in this framework." He added that a Turkish-Egyptian meeting at the level of deputy foreign ministers was upcoming, with "efforts underway to set a date for it."
Çavuşoğlu previously took the opportunity of Ramadan to speak with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry, congratulating him on the arrival of the holy month. Recently, Turkey has started to change its tone regarding its relations with Egypt, moving away from a previously tense stance, and has mentioned the existence of intelligence and diplomatic communications with Egypt, despite reports of difficulties in these discussions. Ankara had previously announced that it obliged anti-Cairo channels to adhere to media codes of conduct, referring to platforms linked to the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood that were critical of Egypt.
While Egypt welcomed this step, it emphasized the need for further actions to build trust and restore relations. Turkish officials have made a series of statements in recent months that have indicated a warming towards Cairo, discussing "strong ties" between the two countries. Relations between Egypt and Turkey have been severed for over eight years due to several issues, most notably Ankara's policy in the Mediterranean, its hosting of the Muslim Brotherhood, and its military intervention in the Libyan crisis.
