Turkey to send delegation to Egypt in May

ANKARA: Turkey will send a delegation led by its deputy foreign minister to Egypt in early May, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday, as Ankara ramps up a push to repair strained ties with Cairo ater years of animosity.

Last month, Turkey said it had resumed diplomatic contacts with Egypt and wanted to further cooperation, eight years ater ties crumbled in 2013.

A thaw in ties between the regional powerhouses could have repercussions around the Mediterranean.

They have backed rival sides in the war in Libya and sealed conflicting maritime deals with other coastal states.

But Cavusoglu said on Wednesday that a new period was beginning in Turkey-egypt ties.

Speaking in an interview with broadcaster NTV, Cavusoglu said Cairo had invited the Turkish delegation to visit Egypt in the first week of May to discuss ties. He added that a meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, whom he spoke to at the weekend, would take place ater those talks.

“The Egyptian side invited a delegation from Turkey to their country in the first week of May. The conditions between us have matured, meetings could continue,” Cavusoglu said.

Cairo has said Turkey’s actions “must show alignment with Egyptian principles” to normalise ties.

Cavusoglu had hailed the start of “a new era” with Egypt on Wednesday.

“A new era is beginning,” Cavusoglu was quoted as saying by NTV broadcaster.

Cavusoglu told Turkish reporters that the appointment of ambassadors “will come up on the agenda” during those talks.

On Wednesday, Sudan’s prime minister invited his Egyptian and Ethiopian counterparts to a closed meeting to discuss the long-running dispute over Addis Ababa’s mega-dam on the Blue Nile, his office said.

Last week, talks involving the three countries hosted by the African Union chair, Congo, failed to reach a binding agreement over the operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) and the filling of its vast reservoir.