CAIRO (Dispatches) – Egypt and Turkey are holding two days of political consultations in Cairo as part of a push to mend ties, the two countries said.
"These exploratory discussions will focus on the necessary steps that may lead towards the normalization of relations between the two countries, bilaterally and in the regional context,” a statement released by the foreign ministries of both countries said on Tuesday, a day ahead of the talks on Wednesday and Thursday.
Turkey and Egypt have been at odds in recent years over their conflicting positions on the Muslim Brotherhood, the war in Libya, and maritime borders in the Eastern Mediterranean. Relations have been strained since Egypt’s army toppled a democratically elected Muslim Brotherhood president close to Turkey in 2013 in what Ankara said was a military coup.
Following the military coup, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan refused to accept President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi as the legitimate president of the North African nation.
Sisi is also opposed to Turkey’s claims in the eastern Mediterranean.
The diplomatic consultations will be led by Turkish Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister and Ambassador Sedat Onal and his Egyptian counterpart, Hamdi Sanad Loza, according to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.
The development came after Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said last month that Ankara had made "diplomatic contact” with Cairo through their intelligence services. He said the diplomatic channel would be pursued by the foreign ministries.
The talks led to a mutually agreeable strategy, according to Cavusoglu, who said later that he could meet his Egyptian counterpart as well.