The Turkish deputy prime minister Numan Kurtulmuş said Monday that Ankara did not take any step to “normalise” relations with Egypt, but it would like to restore bilateral affairs.
Kurtulmuş’s declaration comes after Turkey recently improved its relations with both Russia and Israel.
Last week, Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ahmed Abou Zaid said that Egypt has reservations about dealing with the current Turkish government which has insisted on adopting a floundering regional foreign policy.
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said earlier that he has no problem with the Egyptian people but only with the Egyptian government. He also criticised certain court verdicts related to the Muslim Brotherhood.
Commenting on Erdogan’s declarations, Abou Zaid said that the Egyptian people have chosen their leaders in democratic elections, pointing out that respecting people’s will is the start of any normal relations between the two countries.
Turkish prime minister Binali Yildrim recently said that Turkey is keen to develop economic relations with Egypt regardless of the political conflict, but the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said that it sees a conflict between his declarations and Turkish actions.
