First official visit to Egypt in 10 years

Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu met with Egyptian Foreign Minister Samih Shoukry in Cairo. Minister Çavuşoğlu became the first foreign minister from Turkey to visit Egypt in 10 years. Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu arrived in Egypt upon the invitation of his Egyptian counterpart Samih Shoukry. Minister Çavuşoğlu was greeted at the door of the Foreign Ministry building in the capital Cairo by his counterpart Shoukry. Following the welcome, Çavuşoğlu and Shoukry engaged in a one-on-one meeting. During the meeting, it is expected that all aspects of Turkish-Egyptian relations will be discussed, regional and international issues will be exchanged, and the mutual reopening of embassies will be on the agenda. Çavuşoğlu became the first foreign minister from Turkey to visit Egypt in 10 years. “We will work more closely in the upcoming process as well” Minister Çavuşoğlu expressed his and his Egyptian counterpart’s satisfaction with concrete steps being taken regarding the normalization of relations between the two countries and said, “We will work more closely in the upcoming process as well.” Touching on the importance of the normalization of bilateral relations between Turkey and Egypt, Çavuşoğlu continued as follows: “While developing our bilateral relations, we do not only talk about what can be done for the benefit of both countries. Beyond that, the normalization of our relations is important. We all know the importance of developing bilateral relations for the stability of the region, for its economic development, and for the role to be played in solving existing problems. Our region needs peace. Therefore, we need to work together for the peace and survival of our region.” Referring to the rupture in Turkish-Egyptian relations in the past years, Çavuşoğlu said, "There was a rupture in our relations. I think there are lessons we will learn from this. Of course, we will have differences of opinion in the future. This may happen, this is natural. It can happen between brothers, but no matter what happens, we will do our part as both sides to not sever these ties again." Emphasizing that they also discussed the effects of the ongoing Ukraine war on both the world and both countries, Çavuşoğlu said, "I provided information about the latest developments and latest efforts, especially regarding grain, in our meeting today. As Turkey, we continue our efforts for the war to end as soon as possible. But unfortunately, a year has passed and the war is still ongoing." Stating that an election process has started in Turkey, Çavuşoğlu made the following statements: "Perhaps right after the election, our President (Erdoğan) and President Sisi will meet. They will decide on the timing, but it is up to us to prepare. We need to act quickly and work closely in every area, not only in appointing ambassadors, but also in closing the 9-year gap. We have already evaluated how we can do this in our meeting today." Egyptian Foreign Minister Samih Shukri stated that they will re-establish strong relations with Turkey and said, "The development of relations between Turkey and Egypt is in the interest of both countries."