Turkey 'taking steps' towards normalising ties with Egypt, FM Cavusoglu says

Turkey is "taking steps" to re-establish diplomatic relations with Egypt, Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has said.

Cavusoglu made the comment at a press conference that followed a NATO meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels on Wednesday and Thursday.

"We have taken a number of steps within the framework of normalising relations with Egypt, and in the coming days we will take other steps in this regard," Anadolu Agency quoted him as saying.

Ankara and Cairo have not yet made a decision on appointing ambassadors, he said.

Turkey and Egypt withdrew their respective ambassadors in 2013, when relations between the two countries became strained after Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi came to power in a military coup and launched a crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood, an organisation backed by Ankara.

However, trade and economic relations between Ankara and Cairo have continued as normal.

Talks between the two countries to restart diplomatic relations began in 2021.

Potential sticking points in future talks could include the Libyan war - in which Egypt and Turkey back opposing sides - and control over parts of the Mediterranean Sea.