Turkey, Egypt intelligence delegations met in Egypt - report

Turkish and Egyptian intelligence delegations met in Egypt at the weekend after Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan shook hands with his counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi last week paving the way to restore ties between the regional powers, Reuters reported.

Two sources with knowledge of the matter said that "important" talks have begun and that Turkey and Egypt are preparing to start negotiations on military, political and commercial issues, pointing to Turkey's maritime agreement with Libya, energy projects, hydrocarbon exploration work and pipelines in the Mediterranean.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also told reporters on Monday that Ankara and Cairo could re-establish full diplomatic relations and reappoint ambassadors "in the coming months".

Diplomatic relations between the two countries have been strained since then-Egypt Chief of Staff Abdel Fattah al-Sisi toppled Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohammed Morsi, backed by Erdogan, in 2013.

But Erdogan and Sisi broke ice in Qatar during the opening of the World Cup with a warm handshake.

Erdogan said at the weekend that he and Sisi spoke in Qatar for as much as 45 minutes, and that the process of building relations with Egypt will start with ministers of the two countries meeting and that the talks would develop from there.

An Egyptian intelligence source said delegations in Cairo were discussing how to bring their perspectives closer on common security issues. The source said these issues also include media outlets based in Turkey, which are affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood and oppose the Egyptian government.

Ankara already asked Egyptian opposition TV channels operating in Turkey to moderate their criticism of Egypt, though Egyptian officials remained cautious on reconciliation.