Egypt And Turkey Appoint Ambassadors, Restore Diplomatic Relations

Egypt and Turkey on Tuesday appointed ambassadors to restore diplomatic relations between the countries after nearly 10 years, Cairo said in a statement. 

Egypt’s Amr Elhamamy became ambassador in Ankara, while Turkey nominated Salih Mutlu Sen as its ambassador in Cairo, the Egyptian foreign ministry announced. 

The two countries restored relations following an agreement reached by presidents Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the Turkish foreign ministry stated. The ties between Cairo and Ankara were severed in 2013 after el-Sisi overthrew then-President Mohamed Morsi.

At the time Erdogan condemned the coup as “damaging, inhuman and against the people, national will and democracy.” Turkey also provided refuge for Egyptian dissidents. 

Earlier in November, Erdogan and Sisi met in Qatar during the World Cup. They held a meeting for nearly 45 minutes and announced a process of “building relations” between the two countries.