Egypt: Media stresses Turkey's opening to better ties

By Hussein Mahmoud

CAIRO

Egyptian state media highlighted Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim’s remarks Monday saying Ankara is looking forward to improving its relations with Egypt.

Egypt’s official news agency MENA spotlighted the news on its official website under the headline, "Turkish prime minister: We are looking forward to improving our relations with Egypt."

Egyptian state television gave the same story the title, "Turkey's prime minister confirms his country's aspiration to improve relations with Egypt."

MENA quoted from Anadolu Agency Yildrim’s remarks saying that conflicts between governments should not negatively affect relations between people.

"We are on the side of improving our relations with Egypt," Yildirim had said.

"Egypt is a country whose culture, values are close to us, [and] our peoples are brothers," said Yildirim, adding that the conflict between governments should not affect ties between people.

Yildirim's remarks followed conciliatory remarks by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi on Sunday.

“There is no reason for animosity,” al-Sisi said in statements to Egypt’s three pro-government newspapers. “We gave them [Turkey] time to reconsider their position,” he said.

-Feud not in Egypt’s interest

Mukhtar Ghobashi, vice president of the non-governmental Arab Center for Political and Strategic Studies called the mutual positive statements "good for both sides and [this shows] they are in favor of improving relations between the two countries."

"The horizon of the exchanged statements between Turkey and Egypt indicates that there is a framework for a solution between the two countries," he told Anadolu Agency.

"Turkey is a functional country in many issues concerning the region. Egypt is one of the balancing states too, it is not in Egypt's interest to have a feud with a country like Turkey,” he added.

Ghobashi said, “I am expecting a dialogue to be opened between the two countries in the near future.”

Egyptian-Turkish relations deteriorated after the Egyptian army led by al-Sisi ousted Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s first freely elected president, in a 2013 coup.

Turkey has been critical of Morsi’s ouster by coup.