Published: Less than 50 min ago
Egypt looks set to open diplomatic ties with Syria and Turkey after a decade of troubled relations with both countries.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry leaves on Monday morning and will have time to visit both countries during the day, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announces. The reason is to show “solidarity with the brotherly peoples” in the countries affected by earthquakes.
Immediately after the February 6 natural disaster, Abd al-Fattah al-Sisi called Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to express condolences. Egypt has also sent aid shipments to the affected regions.
Thus, Cairo opened up opportunities for further contacts.
Syrian hardliner President Bashar al-Assad has been politically isolated in the region, mainly due to the twelve-year civil war in Syria. The country was temporarily excluded from the Arab League, headquartered in Cairo, as a reaction against Damascus.
Egypt’s president has also had a strained relationship with Turkish President Erdogan ever since the coup that brought al-Sisi to power in 2013.
The two took a first step towards closer ties when they shook hands at a meeting in Qatar in November.