Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said that statements by Ankara on the importance of Cairo and the need to repair the relations between the two sides were “appreciated.”
He noted that the recent call he received from his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu fell “within the context of Turkish statements and signals about Egypt’s importance.”
The recent phone call between the two foreign ministers strengthened the signs of “rapprochement” between Cairo and Ankara.
During a telephone interview with the “Cairo Talk” program, Shoukry said he hoped Turkey would move to a stage of political openness, which would lead to further action.
His remarks came to confirm a recent report by Asharq Al-Awsat, which quoted an Egyptian source as saying that his country focuses first on the security issue in the negotiations with Turkey.
Shoukry’s statement coincided with the announcement by two of the most prominent presenters of programs on satellite channels concerned with Egyptian affairs and hosted by Turkey that they would be on indefinite leave. Cairo classifies the channels as hostile to Egypt.
Shoukry avoided answering a question about whether Cairo had asked Ankara to close those channels, and said: “What is important is to respect the international principle of non-interference…”
The Egyptian foreign minister reiterated that Cairo “always prefers to talk about dialogue that is in the interest of both parties and to establish relations on the principles of international law and non-interference in the affairs of others.”
