Turkey FM says no plans yet for ambassador exchange with Egypt

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday that his country and Egypt have not yet agreed to appoint ambassadors, despite improving bilateral ties.

Speaking to CNN Turk, Cavusoglu said dialogue with Cairo was continuing but plans to exchange ambassadors have not yet started.

Back in June this year, the minister said he expected that ambassadors would be appointed in the future without giving a time frame.

Egypt and Turkey have not shared ambassadors since 2013, when relations worsened following the ousting Egypt's first democratically elected President Mohamed Morsi by then military chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who is now the country’s president.

The two countries held a second round of talks last month.

Turkey has also been at loggerheads with the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia over a number of issues, most recently the conflict in Libya, where Ankara backed the UN-recognised administration in Tripoli while its Arab rivals supported an opposing faction.

But Cavusoglu said last month that his country was taking "positive steps" to improve relations as talks continue.