Egypt's Foreign Minister to visit Turkey

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry is traveling to Turkey to visit earthquake-stricken areas and meet with his counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu to "convey a message of Egypt's solidarity," according to a statement from the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

Diplomatic relations between Egypt and Turkey were also severed after Sisi, then army chief, led the 2013 overthrow of Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood, a close ally of Turkish leader Tayyip Erdogan.

Relations began to thaw in 2021, part of a push by Turkey to reduce tensions with several regional powers.

Erdogan and Sisi met and shook hands during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and Turkish companies pledged $500 million in new investments in Egypt earlier this month.

Sisi also called Erdogan to offer his condolences and support following the deadly earthquake.

Prior to his visit to Turkey, the Egyptian foreign minister traveled to Syria on Monday morning. The first Egyptian foreign minister since the outbreak of war in Syria in 2011, Shoukry was received by his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mikdad at Damascus airport.

Shukri later met with Syrian leader Bashar Assad to convey his country's message of support.