Egypt, Turkey hold ‘frank, in-depth’ talks to end tensions

Cairo: Egypt and Turkey have said their ground-breaking talks held in Cairo to normalise their long tense relations were “frank and in-depth”.

Senior officials from both countries concluded two days of exploratory talks, the first of their kind since their ties soured in 2013.

“Discussions were frank and in-depth. They addressed bilateral issues as well as a number of regional issues, particularly the situation in Libya, Syria and Iraq, and the necessity of achieving peace and security in the Eastern Mediterranean region,” Egypt and Turkey said in a joint statement.

The two sides said they will evaluate the outcome of the talks to agree on the next steps.

Talks held

The talks held on Wednesday and Thursday in Cairo were co-chaired by Egyptian Deputy Foreign Minister Hamdi Loza and his Turkish counterpart Sedat Onal.

Ties soured between Egypt and Turkey in 2013 when the Egyptian army, following mass street protests, deposed Islamist president Mohammed Mursi, who was an ally of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.

In recent months, Ankara has signalled interest in improving links with Egypt and other Arab countries amid efforts to resolve regional crises.