ANKARA/CAIRO: Egypt and Turkiye said on Tuesday they had appointed ambassadors to each others' countries for the first time in a decade, in the latest sign of warming ties.
Cairo and Ankara both issued statements announcing "the upgrading of diplomatic relations between them to the level of ambassadors".
The two foreign ministries said the move "aims at the re-normalisation of relations between the two countries and reflects the mutual will to develop bilateral relations".
The appointments mark a rapprochement between Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el Sisi and his Turkish veteran counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Relations were severed a decade ago when the two countries went through diplomatic dispute.
At the time, Erdogan said he would never speak to "anyone."
In 2014, El Sisi became president of the Arab world's most populous nation.
The first signs of a thaw came in May 2021 when a Turkish delegation visited Egypt to discuss a possible normalisation.
Last November, Erdogan and El Sisi shook hands in Qatar in what the Egyptian presidency heralded as a new beginning in their relations.
The two leaders then spoke by telephone in February.
After a series of further steps towards rapprochement, Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry visited Turkiye to show solidarity after the massive earthquakes that killed more than 50,000 people in Turkiye and Syria in February.
While relations were long frosty, trade continued. In 2022, Turkiye was the largest importer of Egyptian goods, totalling $4 billion.
Disagreements remain as Turkiye is home to many Arab journalists critical of their governments, which has been outlawed by Cairo.
Cairo and Ankara also back opposite sides in conflict-torn Libya where two rival administrations vie for power.
Amr Elhamamy will become Egypt's ambassador in Ankara while Turkiye nominated Salih Mutlu Sen to become its ambassador in Cairo, the foreign ministries said in a joint statement.
The appointments marked an important milestone in the normalisation of relations, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said following the announcement.
"From now on, our relations will continue to improve rapidly in political, economic and all other fields. This is the will of our president and government," Fidan told a news conference. — Agencies
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