CAIRO — Egyptian and Turkish delegations led by senior diplomats held talks in Cairo on Wednesday in a bid to normalize ties and end eight years of rift between the two countries.
“Now the political consultations between Egypt and Turkey begin,” said Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Hafez in a statement, noting that the meeting was co-chaired by Egyptian Deputy Foreign Minister Hamdi Sanad Loza and his Turkish counterpart Sadat Onal.
Ties between Egypt and Turkey deteriorated after the ouster of former President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 in response to mass protests against his controversial rule and now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group.
Cairo and Ankara also have conflicting positions over Libya and the maritime borders in the Eastern Mediterranean region.On Tuesday, the foreign ministries of both countries said that “these exploratory discussions will focus on the necessary steps that may lead towards the normalization of relations between the two countries,” noting that the talks will be held on May 5-6.
