Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan commented on the level of relations between Ankara and Cairo, stressing that “the Egyptian people are a brotherly people.”
In a statement released on Saturday after his return trip from a visit to Ukraine, Erdogan said: “There are no adversaries in politics, but there should always be in an environment of peace and an opportunity for dialogue.”
On the relations between Ankara and Cairo, Erdogan clarified that “high-level relations are not in the required place at the moment.”
“Let’s continue working at the ministerial level, and then hope to take another step in the best way towards higher levels,” he added.
“Because the Egyptian people are our brothers, we cannot be in a state of conflict with them, so we must reconcile with them as soon as possible.”
In a previous comment, former Egyptian minister of foreign affairs Mohamed El-Oraby called on the Turkish regime to affirm its respect and appreciation for the Egyptian people and to consult with the Egyptian regime on how to mend relations.
“Turkey must take an official path by going to the Egyptian leadership,” he said.
For his part, Tarek Fahmy — a professor of political science — said that Erdogan’s statement about Egypt is not his first attempt at reconciliation with Egypt, and that these efforts are being done within the framework of Turkey’s new “Zero Problems Policy’ with the countries of the region.
