CAIRO (Reuters/Arab News) – Egypt President Abdel Fattah
el-Sisi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have agreed on “the immediate start of upgrading diplomatic relations, exchanging ambassadors,” Egypt’s presidency said in a statement.
El-Sisi spoke with Erdogan in a phone call to congratulate him on his presidential win.
Egypt’s foreign minister Sameh Shoukry visited Turkey in April and met his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu, the two parties agreed then on specific time frame to raise the level of diplomatic relations and to prepare for a summit between the two presidents.
The presidents may meet in person again after Turkey’s May 14 election, Cavusoglu said in April.
In another development, the Egyptian president met with Ammar al-Hakim, head of the Iraqi Wisdom Movement, in Cairo. The two leaders discussed the latest political developments in Iraq and prominent regional issues of mutual interest.
During the meeting, el-Sisi affirmed his pride in the fraternal relations between Cairo and Baghdad and his government’s support of Iraq’s efforts to achieve progress.
El-Sisi also acknowledged al-Hakim’s constructive role in maintaining stability in Iraq.
The Egyptian minister of foreign affairs also met with al-Hakim.
Ahmed Abu Zeid, spokesman for the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, said the two discussed a number of regional issues of common concern and affirmed their interest in continued cooperation to improve security in the region.
Shoukry expressed Egypt’s full support of Iraq in its war against terrorism and highlighted the importance that Egypt attributes to the tripartite cooperation mechanism between Egypt, Iraq, and Jordan, a reflection of the countries’ common political will.
Separately, during a discussion with experts of the Egyptian Center for Strategic Studies, al-Hakim said there are many areas in which Egypt and Iraq can coordinate, citing the importance of regional cooperation as a reason why “Iraq hosted five rounds of talks between Saudi Arabia and Iran, in addition to discussions between other countries.”