Egypt, Turkey appoint ambassadors to restore diplomatic ties

CAIRO/ANKARA - Egypt and Turkey have appointed ambassadors to each other's capitals for the first time in a decade to restore normal diplomatic relations, their foreign ministries announced on Tuesday.

Consultations between senior foreign ministry officials in Ankara and Cairo began in 2021 as Turkey sought better ties with Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Normalisation between Ankara and Cairo accelerated after Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan shook hands in Doha at the World Cup in 2022.

Sisi and Erdogan agreed to exchange ambassadors in May.

Amr Elhamamy will become Egypt's ambassador in Ankara while Turkey nominated Salih Mutlu Sen to become its ambassador in Cairo, the Egyptian foreign ministry said.

The two countries have not had ambassadors since 2013, when Eqypt expelled Turkey's ambassador and accused Ankara of backing organisations bent on undermining the country.