Egypt and Türkiye have appointed ambassadors to each other’s capitals after a decade of strained diplomatic ties, the foreign ministries of both countries announced on Tuesday.
Türkiye has named Salih Mutlu Shin as its ambassador to Cairo, while Amr Al-Hamami will represent Egypt in Ankara.
“This step aims to establish normal relations between the two countries once again and demonstrates their mutual determination to work towards enhancing their bilateral relations for the best interest of both the Turkish and Egyptian peoples,” the ministries said in a joint statement.
Relations between Ankara and Cairo took a downturn in 2013 following the ouster of Egypt’s then-president Mohamed Morsi. The leader was a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, a group supported by Türkiye, but designated as a terrorist group by Egypt.
Türkiye's government condemned the military action as a coup against a democratically elected leader. In response, Cairo accused Ankara of meddling in its internal affairs and supporting an extremist organization.
Both countries withdrew their ambassadors as a result of the crisis.
However, in recent years, there have been some signs of rapprochement, with consultations starting in 2021 to normalize relations.
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, agreed in May to exchange ambassadors.