The two leaders “confirmed the depth of bilateral relations” during their recent meeting, the Egyptian leadership said.
The leadership of Egypt has welcomed the new beginning of relations with Turkey, a day after the Egyptian leader shook hands with his Turkish counterpart for the first time.
President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Recep Tayyip Erdogan “confirmed the depth of the relationship between the two countries” during their brief meeting in Doha, spokesman Bassam Radi said on Monday, indicating that Egypt is ready to end their nine-year conflict. .
Turkey’s president on Sunday released a photo of Erdogan and el-Sisi shaking hands enthusiastically in front of Qatar’s ambassador, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, in Doha, where Cairo has renewed ties.
The leaders met on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of the World Cup in Qatar.
On Sunday, Erdogan described his meeting with El-Sisi as the first step in establishing a new dialogue.
“We said that the process can begin,” Erdogan said. “There is a way to start this, and we had the discussion. It is my hope that we want to move the process that started with our ministers to be better later, I hope to higher meetings.
Turkey’s cooperation with the Egyptian people in the past is very important for Turkey, Erdogan said, adding: “Why? Why not start again? We gave a signal.”
Relations between Cairo and Ankara soured in 2013 after El-Sisi ousted President Mohamed Morsi and banned his Muslim Brotherhood party.
Turkey has for years been a haven for Egyptian dissidents, fueling tensions between the two countries.
Turkey and Egypt held their first talks in eight years last year.
Also last year, Erdogan’s government demanded that prominent Egyptian news anchors living in exile take down their criticism of the Egyptian leader in an attempt to appease Cairo.
This month, Turkish security forces briefly detained an Egyptian dissident, according to rights groups, as Egyptian authorities cracked down on activists calling for protests at the COP27 climate conference.
But long-standing disagreements over the war-torn country’s conflict in Libya have so far hampered efforts to forge a deal.
Although relations between Cairo and Ankara are often strained, economic ties continue. Trade volume has nearly tripled from 2007 to 2020, according to the Carnegie Middle East Center.
