US on Turkish FM’s visit to Cairo: Important step towards a more stable and prosperous region

CAIRO – 18 March 2023: The US welcomed Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu’s first visit to Cairo.

“We welcome today’s visit to Cairo by Turkey’s FM Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu for meetings [with] Foreign Minister of Egypt Shoukry, the first such visit in over a decade,” said Jake Sullivan, the White House National Security Advisor to President Joe Biden on Twitter on Saturday.

He described the visit as “an important step towards a more stable and prosperous region.”

In a joint press conference with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry in Cairo Saturday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu revealed moves to upgrade diplomatic representation between the two countries, suggesting that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi during the coming period.

“Restoring bilateral relations between both countries after a period of coldness requires a great effort and political will to regain momentum in relations,” Cavusoglu said.

He highlighted that Minister Sameh Shoukry was the first to visit Turkey after earthquake and that President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi called Turkish President Recep Tayyip to offer condolences.

According to Cavusoglu, there are important steps that will be taken to strengthen relations between both countries during the coming period.

From his side, Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry affirmed the existence of a common desire between Egypt and Turkey to strengthen economic and trade relations between the two countries.

“We look forward to achieving what is in the interest of the peoples of Egypt and Turkey,” Shoukry said.